*8* play on UNDER Habs/Capitals.

The Montreal Canadiens were a little unfortunate to lose in a shootout at home versus Nashville on Monday, but they did pick up a valuable point in their quest to get back into the playoff race. They did get great goaltending from Mike Condon, who has surrendered just three goals on 67 shots in his last two starts. The Habs have played three straight one-goal games, and I expect another close, low scoring affair here in Washington.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - The Washington Capitals have won five of their last seven versus Montreal, but five of those games were decided by just one goal. Four of those games went to overtime, and eight of the last 10 meetings in this series saw five goals or fewer.

2. Special Teams - These are two of the best teams in the league at killing penalties. The Caps rank 4th, with a kill rate of 85 percent, while the Habs are not far behind with an 84 percent kill rate, ranking 6th.

3. X=Factor - The under is 17-5-5 in the last 27 meetings in Washington.

Selection: This is a play on the Habs@Caps to go UNDER the total (8*)