On this day in 2019, John Klingberg scored 17 minutes into overtime to lift the Dallas Stars to a 2–1 win over the Nashville Predators, clinching their first-round series in six games. It was a defining moment in a tightly contested matchup where defense and goaltending set the tone throughout.

Dallas entered the series as the lower seed but leaned on their elite goaltending. Ben Bishop was the backbone of the Stars, including a 47-save performance in the Game 6 clincher. His consistency throughout the series frustrated a Nashville team that had been one of the league’s top regular-season contenders. 

Offensively, the Stars were led by veterans like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, while a young Roope Hintz began to emerge as a true difference maker. The blue line, anchored by Klingberg and one of the few remaining holdovers on the current blueline in Esa Lindell.

The Stars carried that momentum into the second round against the St. Louis Blues, who they went a full seven games with, although Dallas pushed the eventual Stanley Cup champions to the brink before falling 2–1 in double overtime in Game 7.