from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
Matthew Tkachuk opened the playoffs by treating John Klingberg like he was Drew Doughty’s little brother.
A smash into the end boards 10 seconds into the night was punctuated by another Klingberg crunch late in the first period, sparking a melee of sorts.
It was that second smackdown that prompted a period-ending scrum from which Tkachuk found himself fighting Michael Raffl.
Seconds later, Rasmus Andersson fought Klingberg.
If anyone thought it impossible for the decibel level to top that of the game-opening proceedings, Tkachuk found a way to prove them wrong.
He has a knack for that.
In between his two biggest blasts, No. 19 set up the game’s only goal in an important, emotional, series-opening win over the Dallas Stars.
Kudos to Jacob Markstrom for continuing his regular-season mastery in his very first playoff start in front of fans, making 16 saves to win 1-0.
Game highlights are below.
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