The Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild battle in Minnesota. This is an old Pacific division battle before the re-alignment happened so the rivalry is still there for the fans. The Wild comes in with four straight wins while the Avs have won three of five. The Wild will have the home ice advantage in this spot and that should be the ultimate deciding factor.

Here are my keys to the game:

Wild solidified goaltending- It was no secret that the Wild had no goaltending during a stretch where the team really struggled. This is not the case now as the team has turned things around with the acquisition of Devan Dubnyk. That began a 6-1-1 stretch in which Minnesota's allowed 11 goals and Dubnyk has gone 6-1-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average while starting every game.

Wild dominance in series of late- Minnesota is 11-8 against the Avs and 6-3 when hosting the game. The Avs last win over the Wild was in April of last season.

X-Factor- The Wild's Zach Parise has seven goals and 21 points in 18 games played against the Avs in his career.

Selection: This is a play on the Minnesota Wild. (8*)