The Montreal Canadiens look to fend off elimination against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
The pregame narrative: Montreal has been competitive in this series despite being down 3-1. Lane Hutson is a huge reason why, so I’ll back the rookie defenceman to find the score sheet. For Washington, I have a plus-money pick on Jakob Chychrun.
Check out my Canadiens vs. Capitals prop picks for Game 5 of the opening round.
Canadiens vs. Capitals picks
Best bet: Hutson over 0.5 points (-143)
It doesn’t happen often where a newcomer is arguably the most important blue-liner on a playoff team.
But that’s certainly the case for Hutson. He’s averaging over 24 minutes of ice time and has five points in four games (3-1 against this wager).
The Habs aren’t overstepping, either. This is a truly special talent. He recorded the fourth-most points ever by a rookie defenceman this season (66) — and the most in 35-plus years.
Montreal’s power play is firing at a 38.5% rate through four games and Hutson is the quarterback of the top unit.
He plays almost half the game and is a special passer. Assist opportunities should continue to come early and often in Game 5.
Key stat: Hutson ranks third among defencemen in the playoffs for on-ice expected goals per 60 minutes (5.31), according to Money Puck.
Game 5 prop prediction
Chychrun over 0.5 points (+110): Chychrun hasn’t been as effective as his counterpart, but he’s starting to come alive.
He has points in back-to-back games and is coming off his biggest workload (26:15) in Game 4.
The extra playing time didn’t hinder the blue-liner as he had an assist and a +3 rating. If he’s on the ice a bunch, and for a lot of the Capitals’ team success, I love the value on his points prop at plus money.
Chyrchun leads all skaters in this series with a plus/minus rating of +5.
Canadiens vs. Capitals prop picks made at 11:43 p.m. ET 04/30/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.