BOSTON — When Phil Kessel got into a stick-swinging duel with Atlanta defenseman Boris Valabik, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara came to his teammate’s defense and picked up 17 minutes of penalty time.
Kessel thought it said a lot about Chara’s role on the team.
But it said a lot more about Kessel’s.
“Phil’s a very important part of our team,” Boston goalie Manny Fernandez said Saturday night after the Bruins beat the Thrashers 4-2 for their 11th straight home win.
Kessel had a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to 15 games, and Michael Ryder scored two goals to help the Bruins beat Atlanta for the second straight night. Fernandez stopped 20 shots to win his eighth straight game and improve to 6-0 lifetime against the Thrashers.
Kessel’s goal was his 19th of the season, already tying a career high, and his points streak is the longest in the NHL this season.
“He’s been hot with the stick, and it’s something we’ve been looking for for a long time — someone that can be a threat every night,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “He’s always been comfortable in the offensive zone.”
Dennis Wideman also scored for Boston, which has won 16 of its last 19 overall to move to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
One night after Boston won 7-3 in Atlanta, thanks in part to a goal and two assists from Kessel, the Bruins completed the home-and-home sweep and sent the Thrashers to their 11th loss in 13 games. Nathan Oystrick and Marty Reasoner scored for Atlanta, and Johan Hedberg made 25 saves.
The Thrashers called a team meeting after the game, and left Boston looking for answers.
“We’re not happy with what’s going on,” forward Jason Williams said. “We’re at rock bottom right now. We’re trying to find out why things didn’t work.”
The Bruins took the lead on a power play six minutes into the game when Kessel got a crossing pass to the right of the goalie and put a wrist shot off Hedberg’s pads. The rebound bounced right back to Kessel, whose second shot found the net.
