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BOX SCORE
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Even without leading scorer Peter Bondra, the
Washington Capitals have no trouble beating the New York Islanders.
|  | | New York's Claude Lapointe, left, and Washington's Richard Zednik get in step along the boards. |
Bondra, out of the lineup for up to three weeks after surgery to
repair a torn knee ligament, was not missed as James Black's
go-ahead goal early in the third period led the Washington Capitals
to a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders.
The win kept Washington unbeaten against the Islanders in 13
games.
The Capitals rallied in their first game without Bondra and
matched their offensive output from the past three games.
Washington stretched its home unbeaten streak to six games (3-0-3).
"We're not in dire straits without Bonzai," said Olaf Kolzig,
who made 18 saves. "We'll be a better team when he gets back
healthy."
The winning goal came on a play started by Capitals defenseman
Ken Klee, who lifted the puck through the neutral zone to Jeff
Halpern just ahead of the blue line. Halpern knocked the puck down
with a glove, but was taken out of the play by two Islanders
defenders.
Black, the trailer, got to the loose puck between the circles
and beat Roberto Luongo at 2:15. Two of Black's four goals this
season have come against the Islanders.
New York coach Butch Goring insisted that the tie-breaker was
helped along by a hand pass by Halpern and a two-line pass on the
same play.
"I'm a little furious at this point," Goring said. "How in
the heck do you miss two calls? We don't deserve to get beat
continually on questionable calls."
The Islanders failed to convert a power-play chance after
falling behind and pulled Luongo with 34 seconds left in the game.
Richard Zednik scored an empty-net goal with 15 seconds remaining.
Sergei Gonchar and Steve Konowalchuk also scored for the
Capitals, who are 12-0-1 in their last 13 against the Islanders.
Adam Oates had three assists.
Washington is 6-1-3 in its last 10 home games and has not lost
consecutive games since dropping the final two games of a West
Coast trip in late October.
"It's just a case of confidence rubbing off on all of us,"
Black said.
Mariusz Czerkawski and Jamie Heward scored for New York, which
has dropped four straight and five of six. The Islanders fell to
1-7 against Southeast Division teams.
Gonchar, who failed to score in his first 26 games this season
after a career-best 21 goals a year ago, put the Capitals ahead
midway through the first period. From the right point, he one-timed
Oates' cross-ice feed at 10:44.
The Islanders tied it 1-1 on Czerkawski's 10th goal 6:05 into
the second period. Mats Lindgren dug the puck out of the left
corner and passed to Czerkawski, who beat Kolzig to the glove side
with a rising wrist shot.
Konowalchuk and Heward then swapped goals 20 seconds apart to
make it 2-2.
Konowalchuk briefly restored Washington's lead by pushing a
backhander in from the left post for a power-play goal with 5:01
left in the period. But Heward retaliated by converting Jorgen
Jonsson's faceoff feed from the right circle.
The Capitals will now concentrate on putting together their
first winning streak in more than a month. Six of their next seven
games are on the road.
"We need to establish ourselves on the road," Kolzig said.
"Even though we struggled through last year, we could always say
we played well on the road."
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NHL Scoreboard
NY Islanders Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
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Washington 4
NY Islanders 2
Calgary 3
Montreal 3
New Jersey 2
Pittsburgh 1
Carolina 4
St. Louis 2
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