The Carolina Hurricanes are off back-to-back wins for the mere second time this season as they're coming to Nashville to face off with the Predators tonight. Nashville is back at Bridgestone Arena after splitting games against the Kings and the Ducks in California, and I think the Preds will be in for a close battle tonight as well.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Close Games - The Canes have won four of their last 13 games on the road. Of the nine losses have only three been come by more than one goal. The Predators have won 14 of their 17 at home this season, but covered the spread only once.

2. Special Teams - The Hurricanes are not known for their prolific power play, but matter of fact is that the Predators are even worse converting on just above 15% of their opportunities. They might struggle to improve on those numbers tonight coming up against a Canes team that have yielded only one goal over their last 30 short-handed situations and killed of 20 consecutive penalties.

3. X-Factor - The first meeting of the season took place in Carolina on December 2. The hosts won 2-1, and a similar scoreline for either team is more than likely again.

Selection: This is a play on the Carolina Hurricanes (8*)