Blake Wheeler

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff Free agency opens at noon today. The Bruins will not be in the hunt for the big-ticket players. During GM Peter Chiarelli's watch, the Bruins haven't been prompt to open their checkbook when free agency opens. They made their biggest push in 2006, when they landed Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard on the first day. Chiarelli had been hired by the Bruins, but was still employed by the Senators. Jeff Gorton was serving as interim GM when the Bruins signed Chara and Savard.

Sammy Pahlsson scored his first goal with the Canucks to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Pahlsson, acquired at the trade deadline for draft picks from Columbus, took Kevin Bieksa's drop pass inside the blue line and drilled a shot over the glove of goalie Ondrej Pavelec. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien screened his own goalie on Pahlsson's third goal of the season at 14:17 of the third period. Ryan Kesler and Alex Edler also scored for the Canucks.

WINNIPEG — Good morning from Philips Arena the MTS Centre, where the Bruins will attempt to make it a 16th straight game without a regulation loss. The Bruins are not skating this morning. They arrived from Pittsburgh early this morning. Puck drop : 8:30 p.m. ET TV/radio info : NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers) Records : Bruins 17-7-1, Jets 11-11-4 Projected Bruins lineup : Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin Benoit Pouliot-Chris...

Marian Gaborik scored his 30th goal of the season and Brandon Prust netted the game-winner in the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers' 3-2 road victory last night over the Carolina Hurricanes. Gaborik reached the 30-goal mark for the seventh time in his NHL career. He gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 5:07 left in the second period when he poked the puck in at the left post. Flyers 6, Islanders 3 - Matt Read scored twice and Jaromir Jagr had the go-ahead goal to lead Philadelphia over visiting New York.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Bryan Little scored twice in the third period to help the Winnipeg Jets beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Friday night. Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists, and Alexander Burmistrov also scored for Winnipeg. Jordan Caron and David Krejci scored for Boston. Coming off a shootout victory in Minnesota on Thursday night, the Jets won games on consecutive nights for the first time this season. The Stanley Cup champion Bruins peppered Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec in the first period.

Sammy Pahlsson scored his first goal with the Canucks to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Pahlsson, acquired at the trade deadline for draft picks from Columbus, took Kevin Bieksa's drop pass inside the blue line and drilled a shot over the glove of goalie Ondrej Pavelec. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien screened his own goalie on Pahlsson's third goal of the season at 14:17 of the third period. Ryan Kesler and Alex Edler also scored for the Canucks.

Bryan Little and the Winnipeg Jets opened an eight-game homestand with a huge victory in their bid to move into playoff position. Little scored twice in the third period to help the Jets beat the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins 4-2 on Friday night. "To beat a team like Boston, these points mean a lot to us in the standings and we need to keep winning these games at home," Little said. Former Boston forward Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists, and Alexander Burmistrov also scored for Winnipeg, two points behind eighth-place Toronto for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Marian Gaborik scored his 30th goal of the season and Brandon Prust netted the game-winner in the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers' 3-2 road victory last night over the Carolina Hurricanes. Gaborik reached the 30-goal mark for the seventh time in his NHL career. He gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 5:07 left in the second period when he poked the puck in at the left post. Flyers 6, Islanders 3 - Matt Read scored twice and Jaromir Jagr had the go-ahead goal to lead Philadelphia over visiting New York.

In the days of yore, long before the NHL thought big season-opening thoughts — Prague, Helsinki, London, Stockholm kinds of worldly dreams — the Bruins typically began each season with a game or two on Causeway Street and then hit the highway. “We would go out West for a couple of weeks, and as a player I liked that,’’ recalled Bruins president Cam Neely, meandering along a hallway in Prague’s O2 arena over the weekend. “I liked it a lot, because the guys got to know one another, we came together as a team.

Former NHL players Denis Potvin and Pierre Larouche have been friends for decades. Naturally, they talk hockey. But they don’t talk about the 1975 playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. “I certainly wouldn’t bring it up,’’ said Potvin. “It’s not a topic of conversation. It’s a respect thing.’’ As a defenseman for those Islanders, Potvin found himself on the right side of history. New York overcame a 0-3 deficit and advanced to the next round.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Bryan Little scored twice in the third period to help the Winnipeg Jets beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Friday night. Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists, and Alexander Burmistrov also scored for Winnipeg. Jordan Caron and David Krejci scored for Boston. Coming off a shootout victory in Minnesota on Thursday night, the Jets won games on consecutive nights for the first time this season. The Stanley Cup champion Bruins peppered Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec in the first period.

Bryan Little and the Winnipeg Jets opened an eight-game homestand with a huge victory in their bid to move into playoff position. Little scored twice in the third period to help the Jets beat the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins 4-2 on Friday night. "To beat a team like Boston, these points mean a lot to us in the standings and we need to keep winning these games at home," Little said. Former Boston forward Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists, and Alexander Burmistrov also scored for Winnipeg, two points behind eighth-place Toronto for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

WINNIPEG — Good morning from the MTS Centre, where the Bruins will face off against the Jets tonight. This is the second match of their six-game road trip. Rich Peverley (knee) will not play tonight. Peverley is not expected to be available for the rest of the trip. Rockland native Josh Hennessy will make his Bruins debut tonight. Puck drop : 8 p.m. ET TV/radio info : NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama),98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)

WILMINGTON - After Monday's 1-0 loss to Colorado, Bruins coach Claude Julien hinted that a shakeup of his unproductive first line might be in the works, as the Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton unit was shut out for the second time in three games this season. "It's part of our job here to get those guys going," Julien said, "and whether it's through breaking them up or whether it's through meetings, we've got to find a way to get those guys going.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff Free agency opens at noon today. The Bruins will not be in the hunt for the big-ticket players. During GM Peter Chiarelli's watch, the Bruins haven't been prompt to open their checkbook when free agency opens. They made their biggest push in 2006, when they landed Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard on the first day. Chiarelli had been hired by the Bruins, but was still employed by the Senators. Jeff Gorton was serving as interim GM when the Bruins signed Chara and Savard.

When the Bruins began a season that’s now two wins from immortality — way back on Oct. 9, and miles away in Prague — Rich Peverley was in St. Petersburg, Fla., putting one shot on net for the Atlanta Thrashers in a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last night, bumped up to the first line in place of a fallen teammate who was seemingly everywhere at TD Garden despite not being spotted in the building, Peverley paid Nathan Horton the highest compliment. He played like a top-liner, scoring two goals in a 4-0 win over Vancouver in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup...

TAMPA - In the first 40 minutes, when the Bruins decided that hard work and emotional engagement weren’t going to be part of their plan, they still had a chance to erase a 1-0 deficit. David Krejci, holding onto the puck while fighting off Tampa Bay defenders, spotted Blake Wheeler in the high slot. Wheeler took Krejci’s pass and whistled a wrister that glanced off the right post. “We were flat in the second,’’ Wheeler said. “Maybe a good break and a bounce into the net, and it’s a tie ballgame.

MONTREAL — Last night, practically before Tim Thomas could scrape up the ice in his crease, Milan Lucic had coughed up the puck, Michael Cammalleri had pulled away for a chance, and the Montreal sniper had been awarded a penalty shot 64 seconds into the game. The way the Bruins’ luck was, Cammalleri deked Thomas into Nova Scotia and tucked the puck in the net. Cammalleri’s goal gave the Canadiens the jolt they needed — conversely, it rattled the Bruins for the rest of the first period — to score a 4-3 win before 21,273 at the Bell Centre.