Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Klingberg Makes His Return

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 08: Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) skates with the puck in the 1st period during an NHL hockey game between the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks on March 08, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The Stars won 4-2. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 08: Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) skates with the puck in the 1st period during an NHL hockey game between the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks on March 08, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The Stars won 4-2. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After missing the last six weeks, John. Klingberg will return to the line-up tonight for the Dallas Stars.

The Dallas Stars are headed into a pair of Central Division match-ups, something they haven’t had many of so far this season.

John Klingberg will start tonight on the top pair with Esa Lindell as the Stars take on the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks are feeling the effects of their three Cups right now, struggling to put together a solid roster after mortgaging their future for success.

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Of course, it was the right call by Stan Bowman to make the decisions he did, because the team got three Cup wins out of it. There are a lot of guys in this league who never get one Cup ring, and the Blackhawks certainly had their time at the top of the pack. That time appears to be over, and it doesn’t look like Bowman has any more tricks up his sleeve for now.

The Stars need to take advantage of the predicament that the Blackhawks are in. They desperately need a few solid wins before the break for Christmas, and this is certainly a winnable game for them.

They travel to Minneapolis on Saturday to play the Wild, and that should be a challenge for them. After that, the Stars are back home the next night to play the Islanders. The Stars really need to at least go 2-1-0 for those three games, though 3-0-0 is obviously the best possible option.

Game Information

Chicago Blackhawks (11-19-6) at Dallas Stars (17-14-3)
7:30 PM CT – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
Away TV: FOX Sports Southwest Plus (Josh Bogorad and Daryl Reaugh)
Home TV: NBC Sports Chicago (Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk)
Away Radio: Sportsradio 1310 AM and 96.7 FM The Ticket (Josh Bogorad and Daryl Reaugh)
Home Radio: WGN Radio (John Wiedeman and Troy Murray)
Online Streaming: NHL.tv, Fubo.tv
Last Season vs. Chicago: 4-0-0

Dallas Stars Injury Report

Connor Carrick: Carrick has been skating this week and will hopefully return shortly.

Stephen Johns: Johns had also been skating, but no solid updates yet.

Marc Methot: Methot is also up in the air for an estimated return.

Chicago Blackhawks Injury Report

Corey Crawford: After missing most of last season with a concussion, Crawford is back on IR with another one from last weekend.

Brandon Davidson: Davidson has knee surgery in mid-November and will be out until the new year.

Marcus Kruger: Kruger is on IR and not traveling with the team after sustaining a concussion earlier this week.

The Stars had a nice game against the Flames on Tuesday, but they need to keep that momentum going tonight with Klingberg back in the line-up.