The stakes are high at American Airlines Center Wednesday night as the St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars clash in a deciding Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinals. The over is 2-0-3 in the last five meetings, but I expect goals to come at a premium in this contest.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Situational - Giving up the first goal in this game could be devastating and neither team can afford to put them in a position to chase the game. Dallas is seeking its first Game 7 victory since the playoffs back in the 2000 Western Conference final, so the home team will be wary to not allow history to repeat itself.

2. Special Teams - There has been a lack of power play opportunities for both teams in the last three games with six chances for the Blues and seven for the Stars. It's a tough but fair series, and both sides will be cautious to give their counterpart a chance to play with a man advantage tonight.

3. X-Factor - The Blues have conceded a total of five goals while taking two of three meetings of this series at Dallas.

Selection: This is a play on STL@DAL to go UNDER the total (10*)