• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bruins beat Thrashers for sixth straight win

Mar 2, 2008 - 4:02 AM By Michael Salk PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) - The Boston Bruins are no longer content with just securing a playoff spot. They have set their sights on finishing in first place.

Phil Kessel scored the only goal in the shootout as the surging Bruins rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday to extend their season-high winning streak to six games.

While Boston is sixth overall in the Eastern Conference, it remained five points behind first-place Montreal in the Northeast Division.

"Every line is playing with lots of emotion and puting effort into every battle," Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "And it's paying off with us scoring goals. That's the main thing we are scoring more than one or two goals each game."

Kessel scored in the second round of the shootout, sliding a backhander between the legs of goaltender Johan Hedberg, who recorded 33 saves.

"I lost control of that puck a little there," Kessel said. "I just tried to poke it and luckily it went through."

Hedberg, who kept the Thrashers in the game at times, saw it the same way.

"He (Kessel) lost it off his stick," Hedberg said. "He just whiffed at it. That wasn't what he wanted to do and it messed me up."

Boston netminder Tim Thomas stopped Slava Kozlov and Erik Christensen in the first two rounds of the shootout. Ilya Kovalchuk, who scored on a penalty shot in the first period, shot wide on Atlanta 's last attempt.

"To be honest, I had let in the penalty shot so I didn't feel bad (heading into the shootout) but I didn't feel good, either," Thomas said. "I just tried to keep it simple and get the first save and my confidence went up from there."

Thomas finished with 26 saves for the Bruins, who are 7-0-1 in their last eight games.

"We are working really hard right now," added the 6-10 Chara, whose towering presence and long reach made it difficult for Kovalchuk to dominate the game.

Still, for more than 50 minutes, the Thrashers kept the Bruins frustrated.

After giving up the penalty-shot goal that tied the contest 1-1, Boston the failed to take advantage of three power plays late in the second period, including a 5-on-3 for 1:24.

Shortly after the Thrashers killed off the two-man advantage, Jim Slater scored an unassisted goal with 2:42 remaining to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead entering the final period.

The first half of the third period was played almost entirely in the Thrashers' zone but Hedberg repeatedly frustrated the Bruins with spectacular goaltending.

Boston's relentless pressure finally paid off with 8:07 remaining. Milan Lucic flipped a pass in front from behind the net and David Krejci chipped the puck over Hedberg's left shoulder while being pushed to the ice.

It was only Krejci's third goal of the season, but all three have come in the last three games.

"I think young guys just get more comfortable with each game they play," the 21-year-old Krejci said. "Now, I know what to expect. I know what the coach wants me to do. And now I can read the opponents too. The biggest reason I've been scoring is confidence."

Krejci went 35 games this season without a goal before exploding in the last week.

"I don't know what's happened but all of a sudden the puck has started going in the net," he added. "Hopefully, it will be like this until the end of the season."

Glen Murray scored his 15th of the season in the first period for the Bruins, who has registered 21 goals in their last five contests.

Both teams had a chance in during a wide-open overtime, with the Thrashers registering four shots and the Bruins three.