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Krejci, Savard highlight third-period surge for Bruins

Jan 9, 2009 - 5:30 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- David Krejci and the Boston Bruins once again took advantage of their home-ice advantage.

Krejci snapped a tie midway through the third period and added an assist and All-Star Marc Savard scored a goal and set up two others as the Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Michael Ryder and Chuck Kobasew also recorded a goal and an assist apiece while defenseman Aaron Ward and P.J. Axelsson added tallies for the Bruins, who had won 10 consecutive contests prior to their recent slide.

"It was an important win for us," Savard said. "We had lost two in a row and we did not want to lose three. If someone would have given us 30 wins after our 41st game tonight, I think anyone would have taken it in here."

Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette each registered a goal and an assist and blue-liners Chris Phillips and Brendan Bell also scored for Ottawa, which has lost four in a row (0-3-1) and concluded a 1-6-1 road trip.

"I thought a lot of guys did some great things," Senators coach Craig Hartsburg said. "It's unfortunate that we've done this before, we gave the game away. Guys like Kelly, Vermette and (Jesse) Winchester played their hearts out. ... It's just unfortunate that we didn't have everybody on the same page."

Winchester collected two assists for the Senators, who have won just one of their last 17 contests away from Scotiabank Place (1-13-3).

"We just have to get out of this hole and this mess," Ottawa goaltender Martin Gerber said. "Just can't find a way right now."

Krejci, who has scored 11 of his 15 goals this season at home, gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead by burying his own rebound from in front of the net with 9:47 remaining in the third.

"The first two periods, we didn't play great, and in the third, we just had to stick with our game plan, work hard and do the right things," Krejci said. "We did good things and were rewarded."

Selected to play in his second consecutive All-Star Game earlier in the day, Savard added an insurance tally just over four minutes later, and Axelsson capped Boston's third-period surge with an empty-netter in the waning seconds - his 100th career goal.

"It was important we got the two points tonight, but I don't think we played great today," Krejci said. "We have to be much better against Carolina (on Saturday) if we want to win."

Vermette tallied with 28 seconds left, but the Senators' offense did not do enough to solve Manny Fernandez, who made 26 saves.

"It wasn't easy, they have a skilled team," Fernandez said. "They have been a little off as of late, but they have a dangerous hockey club."

Ottawa was able to generate some sparks on the offensive end, scoring more than three goals for the first time in seven contests.

With Boston already ahead, 2-1, Ryder netted his 15th goal of the season at 8:44 of the second period. But Kelly scored 84 seconds later and Bell evened the game at 3-3 with 5:28 remaining in the session by firing a shot past Fernandez from the right faceoff circle.

Ward and Kobasew scored 1:55 apart early in the first to stake the Bruins to a two-goal lead, but Phillips halved the deficit with 7:46 remaining in the period.

"It's a good thing we had that start because we have not played so well the beginning of games in the last five or six," Kobasew said. "Now we have to find a way to maintain that throughout the full 20 minutes."

Gerber, who turned aside 16 shots, has yielded at least three goals four times in his last five starts.