The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Carolina Hurricanes to get the season going again after the Christmas break. The visitors are coming off a 2-1 shootout win at New Jersey, only their second win in their last 10 games. The Lightning won the first meeting between these two sides 2-1, but we could see a more one-sided affair in Tampa tonight.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Scoring Woes - There's little wonder why we're finding the Hurricanes at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference. The team is averaging a lowly 2.03 goals per game, with only the Sabres showing a worse goal-production. They've been even more miserable over recent games, scoring 13 goals in regulation over their last 10 games. To make matters worse, we can expect to see Tampa's top netminder Ben Bishop back for this contest. He has dominated the Canes, winning four career meetings behind a 1.24 GAA.

2. Road Woes - The Hurricanes have the third worst road record in the NHL this season and have only won one of their last five away from home.

3. X-Factor - Nikita Kucherov has been productive lately, scoring five goals and adding five assists over his last seven games. He had a goal and a pair of assists against the Penguins before the Christmas break.

Selection: This is a play on the Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (8*)