Senators 4, Bruins 3, OT

OTTAWA (AP) - Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden returned to the Ottawa lineup to help the Senators regain the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Chara scored twice, including the winner 40 seconds into overtime, and the Senators beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Chara, who missed 11 games with a bruised hand, swept behind the net and put a backhand shot over goalie Tim Thomas to end Ottawa's losing streak at four games.

"The most important thing is that we got the two points and we won the game," Chara said. "I thought we started the game really well, we played with intensity but then we let up a little bit and we let Boston get back in the game."

Ottawa regained the Eastern Conference lead with 110 points, one ahead of Carolina, which lost 4-3 in overtime against New Jersey.

Not that Chara was doing any scoreboard watching.

"I'm sorry, I have no time for that," Chara said. "I can only watch one game at a time."

Redden also returned to the Senators' lineup after missing seven games to be home with his ill mother in Saskatchewan.

"I've got my new Blackberry so I was on NHL.com keeping updated on scores whenever I couldn't watch the team," Redden said.

Ottawa is still without defenseman Chris Phillips, goalie Dominik Hasek and right wing Martin Havlat, though Havlat has been cleared to return from shoulder surgery Saturday in Toronto.

Bruins defenseman Brad Stuart scored with 18 seconds left in the third to tie it at 3 after Chris Kelly scored 6:23 into the third to put the Senators up 3-2.

Chara and Antoine Vermette scored in the first for the Senators.

Michael Morrison stopped 19 shots to win his first Ottawa start.

Thomas made 41 saves for Boston, which was outshot 44-21 overall, including a 13-3 margin in the first.

"I knew that Ottawa was hungry for a win and sure enough they came out on fire in the first and made it 2-0," Thomas said. "I just tried to keep it close and give us a chance, and we got back into it."

The Bruins scored twice in the second to draw even at 2. Travis Green scored a short-handed goal midway through the period and Patrice Bergeron scored his 29th goal at 19:02 to tie it at 2.

"We played them well all year and it's a tough time of year when you know you're not going to be in the playoffs," Green said. "I thought we played pretty well."

Morrison made his first start since he was picked up on waivers from Edmonton on March 9. He appeared in two games with Ottawa, allowing two goals on 31 shots in Philadelphia on March 25, and two goals on nine shots against Buffalo on April 8.

Both appearances were in relief of Ray Emery, who ended a streak of 22 consecutive starts since the Olympic break.

Morrison caught a break after Vermette opened the scoring 6:51 in when Marco Sturm hit the crossbar on a penalty shot at 11:12.

"I try to get guys to shoot because I'm trying to come out and cut my angle down and not give them much to shoot at," Morrison said. "He didn't have much to shoot at up there, he got the crossbar and that's part of the game. I thought it was good execution on my part."

Chara added his 15th goal on a power play at 15:05 to make it 2-0.

Green drew the Bruins to 2-1 with an unassisted effort 10:08 into the second and Bergeron tied it with 58 seconds remaining when he backhanded his own rebound past Morrison.

Notes: Senators C Patrick Eaves missed the game because of a lower body injury he sustained the night before. ... Emery went 13-6-3 over the course of the streak, winning the NHL's defensive player of the month award for March.