Karma was on the Bruins side when they swept the season series from the Penguins in Wednesday’s 5-1 win at TD Garden. They are hoping that a little father time will help them make it two in a row against another team battling for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins, who entered Wednesday’s game just two points ahead of the Penguins for the first wild card spot, are back in the top three of the Atlantic Division. Their opponent tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes, are two points behind the Pens for the final wild card spot in the East.

By the time this one is said and done, the Bruins’ dad’s and their fans in attendance in Raleigh hope to be eight points ahead of the ‘Canes and perhaps move to second — depending on the result of Lightning-Devils — in the Atlantic Division.

Gametime: 7:00 P.M.
TV/Radio: NESN/98.5 The Sports Hub
Records: Bruins 33-22-6 (72 points), Hurricanes 28-24-10 (66 points)
Location: PNC Arena

Bruins projected lines

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Brett Connolly
Loui Eriksson-David Krejci-David Pastrnak
Matt Beleskey-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo-Joonas Kemppainen-Landon Ferraro

Zdeno Chara-Adam McQuaid
Torey Krug-Dennis Seidenberg
Joe Morrow-Kevan Miller

Tuukka Rask
Jonas Gustavsson

Hurricanes projected lines

Eric Staal-Victor Rask-Elias Lindholm
Joakim Nordstrom-Jordan Staal-Andrej Nestrasil
Jeff Skinner-Riley Nash-Kris Versteeg
Chris Terry-Jay McClement-Phil Di Giuseppe

Jacob Slavin-Ron Hainsey
Noah Hanifin-Michal Jordan
John-Michael Liles-Brett Pesce

Cam Ward
Eddie Lack

Matchup to watch: Bruins offense vs. Hurricanes D

Brad Marchand and the Bruins offense face a Hurricanes team that has given up the fewest shots on goal per game. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

The goal totals suggest a mismatch. The Bruins come in with the third-most goals in the league with 186 (an average of 3.05 per game) while the Hurricanes’ D, which has given up 161 goals, is good for 14th fewest.

The shot totals, on the other hand, tell a different story. The Bruins, while firing an average of 31.7 shots per game (fourth in the league), will face a team that has given up the fewest shots against on average (26.6 allowed per game) and has the most takeaways in the league (584).

Puck possession will be crucial in this one. The advanced stats gurus should have a pretty good time analyzing tonight’s contest.

Storyline to watch: Two trade targets front and center

Loui Eriksson and Eric Staal are two of the marquee names on the trading block this trade deadline. (Photos by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

We’re nearly 72 hours away from Monday’s 3:00 P.M. trade deadline. When it’s all said and done, we’ll know whether or not Loui Eriksson and Eric Staal — both UFA’s at the end of the season — will remain with their respective teams.

With the Blackhawks acquiring Andrew Ladd from the Winnipeg Jets yesterday, the Eriksson and Staal sweepstakes take front and center now as they are the two biggest names arguably remaining in the trade market. Certainly, their talents would be worth a decent return, but the risk of acquiring either player as a rental — both north of 30-years-old — and the uncertainty of the salary cap might have some teams passing on either veteran, at least for now.

In Eriksson’s case, the Bruins, who are still trying to negotiate a new contract with him, need to figure out soon whether they see him as part of their core in the retooling process. If not, they need to try to find a suitor and quickly. As for Staal, who has spent his entire career with the ‘Canes, saying goodbye, these next few days could be his last hurrah if he decides to part ways with GM Ron Francis and company.

Whatever happens, both Staal and Eriksson will be the center of attention when the two teams face off in North Carolina’s capital city.