What Sharks’ Klingberg said he’s come to realize as he gets up there in age

San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg noted before the start of this season that the way he measures his battle isn t by how productive he is on the power play but by how well he s doing at even strength By that standard Klingberg had a rough start to his Sharks tenure with a few on social media sometimes rightly questioning whether he can consistently be an asset to the squad rather than a liability As a consequence of his inconsistencies Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky sat Klingberg in the press box a limited times as a healthy scratch Lately though Klingberg s played much more like the defenseman the Sharks hoped to get when they signed him to a one-year million contract in July Continuing a newest positive trend Klingberg assisted on Dmitry Orlov s second-period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and scored the game-tying goal with just left in regulation time That gave the Sharks the chance to complete the comeback as center Alexander Wennberg scored at of overtime to lift his band to a - win over the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena responding after a disappointing - loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday Going into Saturday s date with the Pittsburgh Penguins to close out a five-game road trip in which the Sharks have gone - - Klingberg is on his first three-game point streak since near the end of the - season when he was with the Minnesota Wild Klingberg finished with in ice time against the Leafs with whom he had only played games in the - season before needing double-hip resurfacing surgery I thought he was our best defenseman tonight Warsofsky stated of Klingberg He s calmed his challenge down especially at the offensive blue line Kept his match more direct and simple and that s led to him being a little bit more confident with his puck play and defending So he s done a really good job He was good tonight I m sure he was excited to play against his former association there Warsofsky has required Klingberg to take certain of the pitfall out of his championship and make smart simple plays instead Hit more singles so to speak and don t inevitably try to knock one out of the park Perhaps less is more Klingberg now has five points in his last three games giving the Sharks a few needed offense from the back end as he s now second among the crew s blueliners with points in games Dmitry Orlov also scored Thursday and now has points in games You try to stay positive Klingberg disclosed when questioned if his confidence ever wavered this season Sometimes it takes a toll on you for sure But I think you ve got to realize as you re getting older but also dealing with physical condition issues you re not going to be the same participant I think I m starting to understand more and more that I can t chase the match like I used to do It has to come to me and just reading off the situation is better and hopefully I can keep building on that Klingberg reported his first healthy scratch of the season on Nov against the Utah Mammoth served as a wake-up call that he needed to adjust his match There s been particular hiccups for sure Klingberg disclosed But I think that was the time for me to reflect to go back and just look at my contest and see what I can do better and I feel like I ve been building since that But obviously for you guys and for everyone else you see the production Just because I had production the last three games you guys think I m back but that s not how it works Related Articles Wennberg plays hero as Sharks earn dramatic comeback win in Toronto Sharks update Mukhamadullin back in lineup Reaves talks harsh Leafs exit Months after bargain Reaves feelings about split from Leafs haven t changed Lethargic Sharks follow familiar pattern in loss to Philadelphia Flyers Sharks goalie hit with illness Tocchet calls Celebrini a hockey nerd I think I ve been working hard the last scant weeks here just to find my match And right now you see particular production It s apparently going to go up and down a little bit but like I explained if I feel good and play well in my -on- competition it starts there It s going to take care of itself While offense is not Klingberg s primary focus the Sharks are now - - this season when he has at least one point Plus the Sharks will take any production they can find from the back end as they now have a modest points from the nine defensemen who have played games for the gang The Sharks enter Friday with points one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks for the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference A win Saturday would give the Sharks their second lengthy road trip with at least a record after they went - - on a four-game trip through the New York area and Minnesota in late October It s obviously a great feeling to amount when you pull the goalie leave it all out there offensively and if you re able to put one in the back of the net Klingberg reported This crew is resilient and I think we ll keep building every day to see where we can go