The New York Rangers will be in the nation's capital to take on the Caps tonight, and they have a chance to move into a tie with Montreal for first place in the East with a win. It's not going to be easy though, as this is their fourth game of a grueling five game road trip.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Home Cookin' - The home team has prevailed in nine of the last 12 meetings in this series, and Washington has won 14 of it's last 19 at the Verizon Center.

2. Alex Ovechkin - He leads the NHL with 44 goals, and he's lit the lamp five times in his last three games. He scored in the only previous meeting between these teams this season.

3. X-Factor - The Rangers will want to stay out of the penalty box tonight, as the Caps own the league's #2 ranked power-play, converting on 24.9% of their man-advantage opportunities.

Selection: This is a play on the Washington Capitals ( (10*)