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Tkachuk hit on Klingberg sets off unlikely Flames - Stars fights

Tkachuk hit on Klingberg sets off unlikely Flames - Stars fights

CALGARY, ALBERTA - MAY 03: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Calgary Flames fights Michael Raffl #18 of the Dallas Stars in Game One of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome on May 03, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Sometimes, you learn that a player has another gear during the NHL playoffs. Every now and then, the hockey world finds out someone unexpected can fight a little bit.

Late in the first period of Game 1 between the Flames and the Stars, a violent sequence of events began thanks to ... basically the exact person you’d expect. Matthew Tkachuk clobbered John Klingberg with an absolutely massive hit.

Moments later, Tkachuk got into an exchange with Michael Raffl. Soon, a fight ensued, and Michael Raffl got the best of Matthew Tkachuk:

Wow.

Not long after, there was a fight between two defensemen who rarely drop the gloves. As you can also see in the embedded tweet above, Rasmus Andersson and John Klingberg fought next.

Early on in Game 1 of Flames - Stars, Dallas hasn’t gotten much going, while Calgary went up 1-0. Maybe this will *ahem* light a fire in one or both teams?

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.