An argument can be made to take the Washington puckline here as Alex Ovechkin will be back in the Washington lineup after missing the final few of the regular season, and the Caps are no pushovers. But the Panthers are just so dominant at home and they get back one of the NHL's best defensemen in Aaron Ekblad. He missed the final 20 games of the regular season. Both East favorites won easily at home on Monday. I am going to play this with Avalanche moneyline over Nashville. If the Preds had Juuse Saros I might worry, but they don't. (I might also throw in Brewers moneyline over Reds as that has come down to a more reasonable number than when I picked the Brewers RL yesterday.)

The Panthers haven't played a meaningful game in quite some time. When these teams met way back in November, all three contests were decided by one goal. Florida went 2-5 against the spread when playing with three or more days of rest. Washington has a ton of experience from its championship run in 2018. I like the Capitals +1.5 goals at -130 in Game 1.