NHL Picks Bruins will complete season sweep of Penguins

Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the days games . at , 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN The Penguins and Bruins will meet for the third and final time this season Wednesday night. The two clubs are currently the occupants of the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference playoff race, with the Bruins two points ahead of the Pens in the standings. Boston has already won the two previous meetings Robin Yount Jersey against the Penguins and will be going for the season sweep Wednesday. The two clubs last met in a home-and-home series in mid-December, which the Bruins won by a combined score of 9-2. However, this game will carry a little extra importance with both teams so close together in the standings at this stage of the season. Wild card position is going to matter a lot more in the East than it does the West, more than likely. Whoever holds the first wild card spot will be able to avoid the , who are currently running away with the whole league right now. Thats a team nobody wants to see right away in the postseason. So seeding matters. Theres still a long way to get there, though. Both the Bruins and Penguins still have aspirations Jesus Aguilar Jersey to nab one of the first three spots in their respective divisions. That would guarantee avoiding the Capitals, though the top of each division is quite strong at this point. More immediately, theres a big two points on the line for two teams that have had their ups and downs this year. The Bruins have a chance to jump into third place in the Atlantic with a win, while the Penguins best hope right now is to leap frog the team theyre playing for the first wild card spot. Both also have to be wary of the , now just one point out of the playoffs and the who are two points back. Cecil Cooper Jersey Even the and are still clinging to playoff hopes. Each team in Wednesdays game will be looking to keep themselves above the fray here. The Penguins may be getting Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bonino back in the lineup soon, which would be a huge boost, but neither are expected to be in against Boston. Both participated in a full practice Tuesday, but have not officially been cleared to play. Meanwhile, defenseman is expected to mi s significant time, depleting an already shallow blue line. The team recalled Steven Oleksy for some blue line help. In Malkins absence, has really stepped up of late. The former Bruin usually doesnt get a warm welcome, but has four goals over his last five games. Meanwhile, has cooled off a bit with three points over the six games since his 11-game point streak ended. The depth concerns are going to make it tougher on both of these players as they'll have to be leaned on even more heavily against a tough opponent like Boston. Over on the other side, the Bruins have le s than a week to the trade deadline and have a tough decision to make on veteran forward . They Jeremy Jeffress Jersey risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent after this season, but its hard to imagine theyll want to trade him in a season where they can contend in the East. Erik son has been on fire of late with goals in seven of his last nine games and 23 Stephen Vogt Jersey for the season. Meanwhile, who obviously isnt going anywhere became a 30-goal scorer for the first time in his career over the weekend. Due to the Penguins' severe depth i sues heading into this one, the Bruins have an opportunity to pick up some points, but theyve struggled a bit at home. Theyre 12-15-3 at TD Garden this year. Still, their scoring attack should be able to take advantage of the depleted Penguins lineup. Pick: Bruins 4, Penguins 2 Loui Erik son has been red hot for the Bruins of late. (USATSI) The rest of Wednesdas picks Washington Capitals 5, 3 3, 2 4, 1