The San Jose Sharks situation is getting desperate. They were supposed to be making a push for the play-offs but have instead won only two of their last 10 games, coming off four straight losses. The Montreal Canadiens have won four consecutive games as they open a four game road trip tonight. As good as they've been of late I think they'll come up short against a fired up home side here though.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Situational/Motivational - When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and that is usually the case with the Sharks. As the Kings fell in Winnipeg yesterday San Jose is still very much in the tight play-off race in the Western Conference. The situation is much different for the Canadiens who are cruising, leading the Eastern Conference three points ahead of the Islanders. I can't see what their motivation for beating up on a non-Conference foe here would be, especially with a more challenging game against the Ducks on deck Wednesday.

2. Home Cookin' - The Sharks may have struggled at home over recent games, losing three straight at home, but this should be a great turning point. This is a series where home ice advantage has been extremely prevalent with the hosts winning nine of the last 10 meetings. The Canadiens have struggled big time over their recent visits to the Shark Tank, coming out as losers in seven straight match-ups.

3. X-Factor - Montreal's star netminder Carey Price is 0-2-1 with a 3.95 GAA lifetime in San Jose.


Selection: This is a play on the San Jose Sharks (10*)