*10* SURE SHOT on Penguins.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be just a slight favorite on the road at Carolina tonight, something that would have been unthinkable at the beginning of the season. The Penguins have underachieved though, and Carolina has been perhaps more competitive than expected. Pittsburgh has turned things around though, and at the end of the day, there's still a huge gap in talent between these two teams. I'll take the Pens at this price.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Sidney Crosby - He's having the worst season of his career, and he wasn't even invited to the annual NHL All Star game. He's turned up the heat lately though, with a dozen points in his last 10 games.

2. Previous History - The Penguins have won four of their last five visits to Carolina, and they've actually won as many games on the road this year as they have at home.

3. X-Factor - The Penguins have successfully killed off 31 of their last 34 short-handed situations.

Selection: This is a play the Pittsburgh Penguins (10*)