Chara double helps Bruins rally past Canadiens

BOSTON: The Boston Bruins eased to a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in a meeting of the Northeast Division's top teams on Tuesday, Zdeno Chara sparking the win with a pair of goals to back up Tim Thomas's 34-save effort.

Defenseman Chara leveled the score 8:23 into the second period before putting the division-leading Bruins ahead for good 10 minutes later, both markers coming during a powerplay.

David Krejci assisted on Chara's second tally and added an insurance goal late in the third period. He now has 31 assists and 17 goals for the season.