There are two Game 5s and a Game 6 on the docket tonight. Tampa Bay-Montreal and Vegas-Utah are tied 2-2 series, so in those cases, all the squads involved are fighting tonight to gain an edge. However, Philadelphia had a 3-0 series lead that the Penguins fought back to 3-2, so for the third straight game, Pittsburgh will attempt to stave off elimination, while the Flyers will be fighting to avoid a Game 7 in Pittsburgh.
SLATE PREVIEW
In the Game 5s, the home team is heavily favored with Tampa Bay (minus-172) and Vegas (minus-162) predicted to have an edge over Montreal (plus-142) and Utah (plus-134), respectively, based on FanDuel's moneyline. Pittsburgh (plus-100) is seen as the underdog against Philadelphia (minus-120), but not by much.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL vs. MON ($8,000): Tampa Bay being favored to gain the edge in the 2-2 series at home seems reasonable, and Vasilevskiy should play a role in that. The 31-year-old was dominant during the regular season with a 39-15-4 record, 2.31 GAA and .911 save percentage in 58 outings. He hasn't been as impressive in the 2026 playoffs, but he's done okay with a 2.58 GAA and an .882 save percentage through four appearances. Vasilevskiy also has a lot of experience to lean on -- this is set to be his 125th career playoff outing -- so as the series progresses and the pressure rises, Vasilevskiy should hold his own.
Carter Hart, VGK vs. UTA ($7,800): Similarly, Vegas also has the edge in Game 5 of its tied series by virtue of playing at home. Hart does need to do better after allowing at least three goals in each of his past three outings, but he's certainly capable of that. This still isn't a recommendation that would be offered on a busy day in the regular season, but with a slate of just three games, the question shifts from which netminders will have fantastic nights to simply taking the goalies on the teams most likely to win.
VALUE PLAYS
Ivan Barbashev, VGK vs. UTA ($5,400): Barbashev has recorded a point in each of Vegas' opening four games (two goals, two assists) in the 2026 playoffs. It helps that he's expected to play alongside Jack Eichel ($8,000) on the top line.
Matvei Michkov, PHI vs. PIT ($4,500): If you want to take a big swing on a night where there's not much in the way of appealing discount forward, you could hope for the best with Michkov. He was a healthy scratch Monday, but he did leave the ice with the regulars following Wednesday's morning skate, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, which suggests that he might be in the lineup tonight. Although he hasn't recorded a point in the playoffs, being scratched might have lit a fire under him. Michkov is a great offensive talent who finished the regular season with 20 goals and 51 points in 81 outings, so the potential is there.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Canadiens
Brayden Point (C - $6,100), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,100), Brandon Hagel (W - $7,100)
If Tampa Bay advances past the first round, it will likely be due in no small part to this line. It's already played a big role in this series. Kucherov has a goal and six points through four games, while Hagel has six goals and seven points in the same span.
Point hasn't gotten going yet, being limited to a goal through four playoff appearances. He also had mixed results in the 2025-26 regular season with 18 goals and 50 points in 63 outings. Still, Point is talented enough to make him worth taking for the sake of rounding out the line.
Penguins at Flyers
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,000), Bryan Rust (W - $6,400), Rickard Rakell (W - $5,800)
Crosby was limited to an assist over the first three games of this series, but with the Penguins facing elimination, he's stepped up, contributing a goal and four points across his past two outings. The 38-year-old should continue to perform well as the Penguins attempt to pull off the reverse sweep.
Rakell has a goal and four points through five playoff outings this year, but Rust has been relatively quiet with a goal and an assist through the same five-game span. You could consider skipping Rust, but he has the potential to rebound after finishing the 2025-26 regular season with an impressive 29 goals and 65 points in 72 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson, PIT at PHI ($5,800): Karlsson was fantastic during the regular season, scoring 15 goals and 66 points, including 26 with the man advantage, in 75 outings. He's continued to chip in during the playoffs with a goal and three points in five appearances, with his most recent two points (one goal, one assist) being tallied on the power play.
Rasmus Ristolainen, PHI vs. PIT ($4,500): Although Ristolainen had just 14 points (one goal) in 44 regular-season outings in 2025-26, he's stepped up during the 2026 playoffs. The 31-year-old has collected a goal and five points in five outings versus Pittsburgh in the first-round series.
