The Pittsburgh Penguins head to Denver on the back of four consecutive wins as they'll take on a team they have dominated over recent seasons, winning six of the last seven meetings. The team in question is the Colorado Avalanche who lost 3-1 to the Wild here at Pepsi Center Saturday, and I'm afraid they'll disappoint their home fans once again tonight.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Situational/Motivational - The Penguins are only four points back of the Islanders for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with three games in hand. They're looking to put themselves in as good of a position as possible for the upcoming playoffs and have acquired Ben Lovejoy and Ian Cole to boost their defense. Colorado on the other hand is sitting dead last in the Central Division seven points out of a wild card spot.

2. Pittsburgh's Power Play - The Pens started the season with a ridiculous conversion rate on their power plays and went 8-for-17 on the man advantage over their first four games. They had the NHL's top rated power play for almost the whole first half of the season but cooled off midway. They seem to have found their groove again as they've converted on six of their last 18 chances.

3. X-Factor - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are tied at fifth in the NHL with their 64 points for the season and have combined for 16 points over the Pens last four games.


Selection: This is a play on the Pittsburgh Penguins (8*)