This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The first round marches on with a trio of Game 5s set for Wednesday, starting with the Capitals hosting the Canadiens at 7:00 p.m. ET. Washington can advance to the second round with a victory tonight, and Florida will be in the same position when the Panthers play in Tampa Bay, beginning at 7:30. Wednesday's action will conclude with Winnipeg hosting St. Louis at 9:30 with that series tied at 2-2.
SLATE PREVIEW
Washington is the heaviest favorite (-182) going into tonight's action, based on FanDuel's moneyline odds. The Capitals-Canadiens game is also projected to be the highest scoring with an Over/Under of 6.5, though the under is considered the more likely outcome at -138. By contrast, Florida-Tampa Bay and St. Louis-Winnipeg each have an Over/Under of 5.5. Personally, I think the over is likely in the Blues-Jets game, given how Connor Hellebuyck ($7,600) has performed in the first round (4.24 GAA, .817 save percentage)
GOALIES
Logan Thompson, WAS vs. MON ($7,900): Thompson has been strong in the first round with a 3-1 record, 2.54 GAA and .912 save percentage across four outings. He was similarly dominant during the regular season, posting a 31-6-6 record, 2.49 GAA and .910 save percentage in 43 appearances.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at TBL ($7,500): The Lightning have a fantastic offense, but that hasn't fazed Bobrovsky, who has posted a 3-1 record, 2.01 GAA and .902 save percentage across four playoff appearances this year. Tampa Bay will also be missing Brandon Hagel, who suffered an upper-body injury in Game 4 on Monday, was a major part of the offense in the regular season, recording 35 goals and 90 points in 82 outings.
VALUE PLAYS
Jake Neighbours, STL at WPG ($5,300): Neighbours played a big role in St. Louis' 5-1 victory over Winnipeg in Game 4 on Sunday, providing a goal and two assists. That brings him up to six points across his past five appearances. Although he has just one power-play assist in that span, he is serving on the top unit with the man advantage, so there's an opportunity for him to see an increase in production in that category.
Anthony Beauvillier, WAS vs. MON ($4,800): Beauvillier is riding a four-game scoring streak (one goal, four assists) into Wednesday's action. Although he doesn't see action on the power play, Beauvillier has been logging even-strength minutes alongside Alex Ovechkin ($8,100) and Dylan Strome ($6,200), which has been critical to Beauvillier's recent success -- at least one of Ovechkin and Strome has factored into each of his past five points. That's important to note because when Aliaksei Protas ($5,600) returns from the foot injury that's kept him out of the lineup since April 4, Beauvillier will probably slide in the depth charts. Protas is currently believed to be close to playing, and if he ends up being good to dress Wednesday, then Protas would be a great value play instead.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Blues at Jets
Robert Thomas (C - $7,000), Pavel Buchnevich (C - $6,300), Jimmy Snuggerud (W - $5,000)
The Blues have averaged an impressive 4 goals per game in their first-round series against Winnipeg, and this line is a big part of the reason why. Buchnevich has an incredible three goals and seven points across four outings this postseason as part of a larger run of eight goals and 16 points over his last 10 appearances. It helps that he's playing alongside Thomas, who has two goals and six points in the first-round series and has been held off the scoresheet just once over his past 16 outings (six goals, 31 points).
The 20-year-old Snuggerud can't match his linemates' offensive production, but he does have a goal and an assist across four playoff outings this year, so he's not a bad pickup at his modest price point to round out this line.
DEFENSEMEN
Cam Fowler, STL at WPG ($5,700): Fowler has a goal and 10 points across his past five appearances, including eight points through four playoff outings this year. He's now managed to provide six goals and 30 points over 40 postseason appearances dating back to the 2015 playoffs.
Seth Jones, FLA at TBL ($5,600): Jones has supplied a goal and an assist over his last three outings. Florida will be missing Aaron Ekblad (suspension) on Wednesday, which puts more importance on Jones' offensive contributions from the blue line.
