The red hot Carolina Hurricanes are once again in contention for a postseason berth as a recent hot stretch has the team just four points behind Detroit for the last wild card in the East. The Buffalo Sabres chances of reaching the playoffs are slim to none as they hold the second worst record in the conference, and I think this looks like a good price on the more motivated visitors.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. The Hurricanes Recent Games - Carolina has opened the month of March with a 3-0-1 record with two of the wins on the road. It defeated the Bruins 3-2 in overtime Thursday as it picked up its first win in five attempts at Boston. A perfect confidence boost ahead of tonight's contest.

2. Goaltending - Carolina's Cam Ward has dropped four straight starts in Buffalo with a 3.57 GAA, but that's still a stellar goals-against-average compared to Buffalo's Robin Lehner's 5.20 GAA in losing all three career starts against the Hurricanes.

3. X-Factor - The Canes' Jeff Skinner has three goals and two assists during a three-game point streak and seven points through his last five appearances.

Selection: This is a play on the Carolina Hurricanes (10*)