The top-seeded Washington Capitals and the defending champion Florida Panthers are both aiming to clinch their respective first-round series in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets, who won the Presidents` Trophy, are looking to take the lead in their Western Conference series against the St. Louis Blues. The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Wednesday with a schedule featuring three games.
Washington has a chance to secure its first playoff series victory since defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. They host the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of their matchup. Montreal was close to tying the series at two wins each on Sunday, but Brandon Duhaime scored twice during a four-goal third period, leading the Capitals to a 5-2 comeback victory and a 3-1 series advantage.
The Panthers are visiting Tampa Bay with the goal of eliminating the Lightning in five games in the opening round, repeating their success from the previous postseason. Florida mounted its own third-period rally in Game 4 on Monday, scoring three times within 2:07 late in the third period to overcome a deficit and win 4-2.
However, the Panthers will again be without defenseman Aaron Ekblad. He scored the tying goal with 3:47 left in regulation on Monday in only his second game back after serving a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. The 29-year-old received a two-game ban from the league for elbowing Tampa Bay`s Brandon Hagel in the head during the second period of Game 4.
In the series between the Jets and Blues, the home team has won every game. Winnipeg secured the first two games at Canada Life Centre, while St. Louis took the next two contests at Enterprise Center. After conceding the first goal in Game 4 on Sunday, the Blues took control, chasing two-time Vezina Trophy winner and 2025 finalist Connor Hellebuyck from the net for the second consecutive game en route to a 5-1 victory. St. Louis has outscored Winnipeg 13-5 over the last three games after losing the series opener 5-3.
Following a five-day streak of successful postseason bets, here are some players offering value for prop bets in Wednesday`s playoff games.
Best Bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals – Anytime goal scorer
Washington scored five goals in their Game 4 win against Montreal, yet Ovechkin was held off the score sheet. The NHL`s all-time leading regular-season goal scorer had two goals in the series opener and also scored in Game 3. A nine-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy, the 39-year-old Ovechkin hasn`t gone consecutive games without a goal since March 11-13, scoring 14 times in his last 19 appearances. The Capitals are expected to finish off the Canadiens on Wednesday, and Ovechkin is likely to play a significant role.
Sam Reinhart, Panthers – Anytime goal scorer
Reinhart scored at least two goals in each of Florida`s four series last postseason, including their five-game first-round series against Tampa Bay, where he netted three times. The 29-year-old scored in the first period of the opener in this current series with the Lightning but hasn`t scored since. The Panthers will advance to the second round with a win on Wednesday, and it wouldn`t be surprising to see Reinhart help achieve this by scoring against Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Aleksander Barkov, Panthers – 1+ assist
Going back to the regular season, Barkov has recorded at least one assist in 11 of his last 11 games and hasn`t failed to set up a goal in back-to-back contests since March 20-22. The only game in this series where the 29-year-old Finnish captain didn`t record an assist was Florida`s 5-1 loss in Game 3. Barkov has accumulated 45 assists in 66 career games against the Lightning, including 14 in 19 postseason matchups.
Cam Fowler, Blues – 1+ assist
Fowler is having a strong series for St. Louis and is tied for fifth in the NHL with eight points this postseason. The 33-year-old became the eighth defenseman in history to record at least five points in a playoff game when he had a goal and four assists in the Blues` 7-2 victory over the Jets in Game 3. Fowler has notched nine assists during his current five-game point streak, which started in St. Louis` regular-season finale against the Utah Hockey Club, and has racked up 14 assists over his last 17 playoff appearances.
