John Klingberg’s series-clinching goal in overtime of Game 6 was the exclamation point. But the defining moment of the Dallas Stars’ first-round series came in Game 5 in Nashville.



Dallas was leading 2-1 in the second period, and the puck was headed to the right corner behind Pekka Rinne’s net. Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis was stride for stride with Stars captain Jamie Benn, and even if Benn won the race it looked like a low-risk play for Nashville.



Three seconds later the puck was in the back of the net.



Benn bullied Ellis, throwing him aside just like the Stars would toss aside the Central Division champions in a series where Dallas won in six games, but easily could have won in five. With Ellis disposed of, Benn found Alexander Radulov, and a 2-2 series all of a sudden felt like it belonged to Dallas.



Victims of that sort of play won’t admit this, but Ellis was scared of Benn. He was scared about getting railroaded and...