ATLANTA – Ilya Kovalchuk scored his NHL-high 14th goal 3:42 into overtime to give the Atlanta Thrashers a 5-4 victory over Boston on Wednesday night, after the Bruins squandered three leads.

The Thrashers fell behind 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 before Kovalchuk provided their only lead of the night with a power-play goal in the extra period.

Kovalchuk drew a penalty on Nick Boynton, getting pulled down at center ice, and Atlanta called a timeout to set up a play in the Boston zone. Slava Kozlov won the faceoff, and Frantisek Kaberle relayed the puck to Kovalchuk, who beat Felix Potvin with a slap shot off the far post.

Atlanta ended the Bruins’ four-game winning streak with another comeback victory. The Thrashers have overcome two-goal deficits to earn at least a point six times this season.

Not even three power-play goals were enough for the Bruins, who became the first visiting team all season to score with a man advantage at Philips Arena. The Thrashers were 25-of-25 in killing off penalties at home until they faced Boston’s lethal power play, the second-best in the NHL. Boston scored on its first two shots of the game. Jeff Jillson beat Pasi Nurminen with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line and Martin Lapointe made it 2-0, blasting the puck by Nurminen after taking a pass from Boynton.

Ronald Petrovicky scored his career-high sixth goal to cut the lead in half. Petrovicky set up the next goal, assisting Jeff Cowan.

after a mistake by Mike Knuble. The Boston defenseman lost control trying to knock down the puck with his hand at the blue line.

Boston pushed back ahead on Glen Murray’s power-play goal early in the second period, while Frantisek Kaberle was serving a four-minute penalty for high-sticking. Kozlov made it 3-3 for Atlanta, but Boston reclaimed the lead on yet another power-play goal, this one by Brian Rolston.

Serge Aubin tied it back up for Atlanta just over three minutes into the third period. Cowan crashed the net and passed to his teammate, who managed to slip the puck through a narrow opening between Potvin’s pad and the post.

In overtime, both goalies made some big saves before Kovalchuk’s goal. Potvin stymied Shawn McEachern on a breakaway and Boston went the other way, sending Mike Knuble in all alone. Nurminen kicked the puck away.

Notes: Earlier Tuesday, Thrashers general manager Don Waddell was named assistant GM for the American teams that will play next year in the world championship and World Cup. … In the third, two Atlanta players were struck by shots. J.P. Vigier was hit in the ear with a shot by Kovalchuk, and Petrovicky took one off the chest in front of the Atlanta goal. Neither player was seriously injured.

AP-ES-11-19-03 2243EST