Chara's 2 goals lift B's; Boston ends 6-game losing streak to Panthers.

SUNRISE, Fla. - Zdeno Chara came up big at both ends of the ice.

The 6-foot-9 defenseman, who had just one goal in the first two 22 games, scored a pair last night - both on the power play - and kept Florida's leading scorer, Olli Jokinen, mostly in check to lead the Bruins to a 4-3 victory.

Boston (13-8-2) won for the sixth time in eight games, and ended a six-game, two-year losing streak to the Panthers.

Glen Metropolit and Phil Kessel added goals, and Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots.

Center Marc Sacard took over the NHL lead with his 23rd and 24th assists of the season, and also extended his point streak to eight games - longest active streak in the NHL.

Steve Montador, David Booth and Jokinen scored for Florida, and Craig Anderson made 34 saves in his first start since Nov. 13 at Atlanta.

"We outplayed them and deserved to get the win," Thomas said. "Jokinen is one of the best forwards in the league and `Z' was able to frustrate him most of the night."

The loss snapped Florida's winning streak at four games and prevented the Panthers from breaking the .500 mark for the first time this season.

"As a forward, you have to make yourself available and find a way to get pucks," said Jokinen, who did have eight shots on Thomas. "That was a big problem for us tonight. We couldn't get out of our end of the zone."

Florida, coming off a 2-1 shootout victory Wednesday night in Washington, started slow and was outshot, 17-6, in the first period. The Bruins had a 38-35 edge for the game.

"Traveling and playing the night before, we wanted to keep it simple," Montador said. "You could say that's the reason we didn't come out strong in the first period. That's the only thing we can look to right now to define that first period. We started to battle back, but it was too late."

Booth's wrist shot at 17:41 of the third made it 4-2, and Jokinen took a pass from Nathan Horton in front and pushed the puck past Thomas at 19:30.

"We're happy with the win, but not satisfied with the ending," Chara said after the B's surrendered two goals in the final 2:19.

Boston stretched its lead to 3-1 on Chara's second goal of the game at 16:24 of the second. His shot from just inside the blue line split Anderson's pads.

Kessel's goal at 4:57 of the third pushed Boston's advantage to 4-1.

The Bruins went ahead, 2-0, just 39 seconds into the second period when Aaron Ward took a shot from the blue line, Anderson blocked it, but Metropolit tapped in the rebound.

About two minutes later, Florida closed to 2-1 when Montador's slap shot from above the right circle went through Thomas' legs at 2:49.

Boston took a 1-0 lead on Chara's first goal just 10:11 into the game. "We weren't sharp in the first period," Florida coach Jacques Martin said. "We didn't get in until late last night and they (Boston) hadn't played since Monday, and it showed."

NAME: BOSTON BRUINS

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CUTLINE: Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) celebrates his first of two goals with teammate Marco Sturm during the first period in Sunrise, Fla.