Andersson, Klingberg Ejected for Secondary Scrap in Game 1

At least the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars completed a fair trade.

The only problem is they both lost a player in the deal.

When Rasmus Andersson and John Klingberg dropped the gloves, they were the secondary scrap. Calgary Flames winger and agitator Matthew Tkachuk had already exchanged blows with Michael Raffl as time expired on a feisty first period.

The emotional end to the period began with Tkachuk crushing Klingberg against the boards then jabbing and jarring with Raffl as they skated up the ice. After the buzzer, they eventually threw punches. Enough time had passed between that fight for a rule rarely used came into effect amid a first-round crackdown.

The rule that was (presumably) applied to Klingberg and Andersson. pic.twitter.com/PgU5qhW14t

— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) May 4, 2022

It was a huge loss for both sides. Andersson hit 50 points for the first time this year – his fourth full season with the Calgary Flames. He was tasked with taking on big minutes against the Stars top line alongside partner Noah Hanifin, but that work is being spread out among the others in the wake of his fight.

Andersson has a scrappy nature but has occasionally been known to lose his cool in costly ways. In the heat of the battle, though, it’s hard to imagine him not obliging Klingberg in this instance.