Havlat scores game-winner

OTTAWA (AP) -- Martin Havlat rallied the Ottawa Senators to a win, though only after they gave away a crucial point in the standings to one of their division rivals.

Havlat's second goal of the game 1:23 into overtime gave Ottawa a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Havlat, who put the Senators on top 2-0 in the second period, beat Felix Potvin for the winner, his 19th goal this season. Ottawa has two straight wins after a season-high three-game losing streak.

Boston defenseman Jiri Slegr scored with 40.4 seconds remaining in regulation and the Bruins salvaged a point despite ending a season-high six-game winning streak.

"The last three games we always took the lead, but two of the last three games the other team came back," Havlat said. "We're happy that we got the extra point, but they still got the one point, too, so we've got to do a better job in the last five or 10 minutes, and play our game for 60 minutes."

Slegr put the puck past goalie Martin Prusek after Glen Murray shot into a goalmouth scramble.

"We were fortunate to grab a point, and unfortunate to lose in overtime," Slegr said.

Ted Donato scored a short-handed goal for Boston, which is fourth overall in the Eastern Conference with 73 points, one more than the Senators.

"There are still a lot of games to be played and every point counts," Senators center Bryan Smolinski said. "They're a very good hockey team. We did give up a point, but we've still got two games in hand. We're going to have to make the most of those."

The Bruins fell short of their longest winning streak in 11 years. Boston finished the 1992-93 season with eight straight wins.

"It was a good game," said Murray, who had an eight-game point streak snapped when he missed Tuesday's 6-3 win in Pittsburgh because of the flu. "Both teams played hard."

Jason Spezza also scored for Ottawa, and Prusek stopped 22 shots.

Bruins left wing Sergei Samsonov missed the game because of a rib injury sustained Tuesday.

Spezza scored on a power play early in the second period. Potvin stopped Todd White's point shot with his left pad, but Spezza put the rebound into the open right side for his 18th goal of the season.

Havlat made it a two-goal lead moments later when he batted his own rebound out of the air and past Potvin.

Donato drew Boston within one with the Bruins' second short-handed goal in two games.

With Bruins captain Joe Thornton serving a double minor for attempting to spear White, Donato intercepted Smolinski's cross-ice pass and raced down the ice to beat Prusek with a slap shot inside the right post.

Game notes
The Bruins had the NHL's eighth six-game winning streak of the season. Toronto had a league-high eight-game streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 6. ... Samsonov is day-to-day. ... Senators D Shane Hnidy played right wing on the fourth line.