The first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is still underway with us having just over a week of games in the books. The first chance for series to be wrapped up is on Tuesday, with Toronto and Carolina having the opportunity to shut the door and move on.

Winnipeg is reeling, the Panthers are stirring things up and Toronto is looking for a finishing touch -- again.

Award-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck was pulled his last two games. Gabriel Landeskog played for the first time since 2022.

On Monday, the league announced the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which honors the top goaltender. The three finalists were Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Darcy Kuemper (Lo

St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko wasn’t expecting the puck at the point, but when teammate Cam Fowler’s shot was blocked by the Winnipeg Jets’ Haydn Fleury, it ricocheted right to him. With less than 30 seconds left in the first period of Game 4 Sunday,

Aliaksei Protas could play for the Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC), but coach Spencer Carbery would not commit to that Monday.

The Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round NHL playoff series. The Capitals scored four times in the third period to rally from a 2-1 deficit in Montreal.

The NHL playoffs are one of the most exciting events in sports, as sometimes you just need to get in to make a run. We’ve seen lower seeds come away with upsets and even hoist the Stanley Cup. Let’s look at a couple of those potential teams with today’s NHL best bets for Capitals vs.