Final at RBC Center
Washington 5
Carolina 2
Caps crush Canes, snap six-game road losing skidRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Alexander Semin and Chris Clark score two goals apiece to lead the Washington Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
The Capitals snapped a six-game road losing streak, avoiding their longest such streak since the 1975-76 season.
Olaf Kolzig had 34 saves for his 260th career win, tying Gilles Meloche for 30th place on the all-time list.
After Eric Staal pulled the Hurricanes to 3-2 at 12:07 of the third, Clark and Alex Ovechkin scored empty-netters in the final minute to secure the Capitals' win. Clark's goals extended his scoring streak to four games.
Erik Cole also scored for Carolina and John Grahame stopped 25 shots.
A misplayed puck off the stick of Carolina defenseman David Tanabe led to Washington's first goal at 13:00 of the first period. Tanabe knocked down Clark's dump-in and it trickled into the net vacated by Grahame, who had gone toward the right corner to play the expected rebound.
Carolina took consecutive penalties midway through the second period. After killing off the first, the Hurricanes allowed Washington to score 4 seconds into the second one to make it 2-0. Dainius Zubrus won a faceoff to Alexander Semin, who blasted a shot over Grahame's glove for his team-leading 13th power-play goal and his 26th overall.
After Cole pulled Carolina to 2-1 at 2:00 of the third, Semin scored his second goal 7 1/2 minutes later on a breakaway.
Ovechkin's score with 21 seconds left snapped his three-game streak without a goal.
Carolina lost defenseman Niclas Wallin with an undisclosed lower-body injury to start the second period.
