Capitals Blow Past Hurricanes

It pays to know the rules, especially when you're fighting for home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Washington coach Ron Wilson picked the perfect time to challenge the width of rookie Mike Fountain's goalie stick Saturday and Peter Bondra scored his 50th goal of the season with 8:37 remaining as the Capitals rallied for a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

"It is kind of a cheesy call to make but on the other hand I can't worry about what people think about me," Wilson said. "We're here to win the hockey game."

The illegal stick penalty on top of a Carolina minor gave Washington a two-man advantage at a crucial stage of the game.

Wilson said he knew early in the game he might have to challenge Fountain's stick as too wide.

"It was plainly evident," Wilson said. "Once you get used to seeing what a legal goalie stick looks like, it's pretty easy to tell.

"A lot of goaltender sticks are made a little bit over, it's just the way they come out of the factory. It's a pain to shave a goalie stick down, but our goalies shave them down to make them legal."

The whole thing was a surprise to Fountain, playing in only his ninth NHL game.

"I have used the same stick for six years, the same pattern, and I've never had an illegal stick called," Fountain said. "I knew it had always been close but it's kind of whatever they send you you use. I don't even measure it any more. It never even crossed my mind."

The Capitals came into the next-to-last regular season game in fifth place in the Eastern Conference postseason race, one point behind Boston and tied with Buffalo.

And it appeared Washington might waste an opportunity to pick up two points against a struggling Carolina team, whose fourth straight loss matched a season high.

But the seldom-called penalty and Bondra's NHL-leading 12th game-winning goal rallied the Capitals after they fell behind 3-2 early in the third period on Nelson Emerson's 21st goal of the season.

Carolina's Stu Grimson was called for a roughing penalty with 12:20 left, and Wilson used that time to object to Fountain's stick. Referee Steve Walkom ruled the stick too wide.

Wilson's strategy didn't take long to pay off.

Washington's Brian Bellows banked the game-tying goal off a sliding Glen Wesley and past Fountain with 29 seconds left in the two-man advantage. Then Bondra scored his goal two minutes later while being hooked coming down the slot.

"Everybody was trying to help me put the puck in the net," Bondra said of his milestone goal. "Even coach put me in on key situations, like a power play. It was cool. I knew it was coming, it was just a question of time."

The two teams close out the regular season against each other unday in Washington.

Adams Oates assisted on the two third-period goals while adding his 18th goal in the second period. Meanwhile, rookie Bates Battaglia who had scored two points in 31 games, but assisted on Carolina's three goals.

The Capitals fell behind 1-0 before Oates and Dale Hunter scored six minutes apart early in the second period for a 2-1 lead.

Carolina tied it with 1:53 left in the period when Kevin Dineen scored after a wild scramble in front of Washington goaltender Olaf Kolzig. It was Dineen's first goal since Jan. 28 a span of 27 games, six of which the captain didn't play in because of nagging injuries.

Defenseman Mike Rucinski, playing in his seventh NHL game, got his first career point by assisting on the Dineen goal.

The Hurricanes went more than 17 minutes at the start of the game without a shot on goal and appeared headed for a franchise record for first-period futility until Martin Gelinas pounced on a Battaglia rebound for his 16th goal of the season.

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