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Admittedly, we're mired in a bit of a slump right now with three losing nights in a row.

The playoffs have been fairly profitable, though, and there's still a long way to go. We'll get hot soon enough, and there's no better time to start than Thursday night.

New York Islanders (-105) @ Washington Capitals (-115)

The Islanders just need to stay out of the box and they will close out this series. Leading 2-0 early in the second period of Game 4 - and in complete control - they shot themselves in the foot with two penalties. The Capitals sent their big guns out on a five-on-three, generated some momentum, potted a couple of goals, and Bob's your uncle.

Four of Washington's eight goals in this series have come on the power play, with only three at five-on-five. That's a testament to this Islanders team, which is so defensively disciplined under Barry Trotz. Only the Colorado Avalanche have allowed fewer expected goals against in these playoffs.

It's just a bad matchup for the Capitals, who struggle to generate offense at five-on-five and rely heavily on special teams. The Islanders will end this series in Game 5 if they don't get themselves into trouble. There's excellent value here as they're slight 'dogs despite being unquestionably the better team throughout this series.

Pick: Islanders (-105)

Dallas Stars (-125) @ Calgary Flames (+105)

I've been vocal about my love for the Stars in this series, and I'm feeling pretty good through five games.

The Stars have been the better team - controlling a much larger percentage of the expected goals, generating more quality scoring chances, and impressively limiting the Flames' offense at five-on-five - in each of the last four contests since a sluggish Game 1.

But the Flames are still hanging around, and despite all the chances that Dallas is creating, it's being made to work hard for every goal. I still fully expect the Stars to close out this series in Game 7, but this pesky Flames team will ensure it gets there leaning into Cam Talbot and its white-hot power play to steal Game 6.

Pick: Flames (+105)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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The Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday to put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the brink of elimination.

Down 3-1 midway through the game, Vancouver struck for three unanswered goals in the second period to take a lead they wouldn't surrender.

More to come.

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier struggled to control his emotions during the final moments of his club's Game 5 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.

Just seconds after Phillip Danault buried an empty-netter to cement the Habs' 5-3 victory, Couturier levelled an unsuspecting Artturi Lehkonen away from the play.

The Canadiens took exception to the hit, and a subsequent melee ensued.

Couturier was assessed a game misconduct and a two-minute minor for cross-checking. Flyers forward Jakub Voracek and Canadiens captain Shea Weber were also handed a game misconduct for their roles in the dustup.

Montreal staved off elimination with the win. The Flyers will get another chance to advance in Game 6 on Friday.

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Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri is putting his poor playoff history behind him as he continues to shine this summer.

Kadri was suspended in each of the previous two postseasons while with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the 29-year-old believes he's turned a corner.

"Just reflecting on the time I spent in Toronto ... you want to learn from your mistakes," Kadri said following the Avalanche's 7-1 series-clinching win over the Arizona Coyotes, according to Colorado Hockey Now's Scott MacDonald.

"I'm more valuable on the ice than I am in the penalty box or the press box," he said, per NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

With his second straight two-goal game on Wednesday, Kadri paces Colorado with six tallies this postseason. The dynamic pivot had mustered 10 career playoff points prior to 2019-20, and has already racked up 11 in eight games this summer.

Acquired by the Avalanche last offseason, Kadri said he's grateful for the seamless transition after spending the previous 10 seasons with the Maple Leafs.

"I'm just fortunate and lucky to come into such a great dressing room with such great teammates and a great organization that just gave me a chance to be who I can be," he said, per MacDonald.

"They've believed in me since I stepped in the door. I'm just trying to not let them down."

Kadri will now play beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim during the second period of Game 5 on Wednesday.

Sanheim, who ranks third among Flyers players in average ice time per game this postseason (19:56), remained in the contest despite being shaken up on the play.

Philadelphia converted twice on the ensuing power play with a pair of goals from Jakub Voracek.

The Flyers own a 3-1 series lead over Montreal and will advance to the second round with a win Wednesday.

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella wasn't interested in finding the silver lining after his club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday.

"You know what, guys? I'm not going to get into the touchy-feely stuff and the moral victories and all that," Tortorella said before cutting his postgame press conference short after two questions.

He added: "You guys be safe."

The Blue Jackets fell behind 2-0 early in their must-win game but rallied back with four unanswered goals. Their lead was short-lived, though, as the Tampa Bay Lightning scored twice in the third period before Brayden Point ended the series in overtime.

Columbus played its most complete game of the first round but wasn't able to find a way to win. The Blue Jackets recorded 53.6% of the shot attempts, 61.54% of the scoring chances, and 65.12% of the expected goals at five-on-five Wednesday, according to Natural Stat Trick.

This is the second instance Tortorella has been particularly blunt during the 2020 postseason. Columbus' coach repeatedly answered, "Toronto was really good. We sucked," when asked to dissect what went wrong in the club's Game 2 qualifying-round loss to the Maple Leafs.

Tortorella has been the Blue Jackets' head coach since 2015-16 and has led the team to the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. He's currently a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.

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Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak is back in action for Wednesday's Game 5 versus the Carolina Hurricanes.

Pastrnak has been sidelined since Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. He racked up a goal and an assist in his only appearance of the series.

The 24-year-old winger was tied for the league lead in goals with 48 when the regular season was shut down in March, and he had already established a new career high with 95 points.

Boston holds a 3-1 series lead over Carolina and can advance to Round 2 with a win.

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