Washington, DC (My Sportsbook) - The Washington Capitals open a three-game homestand tonight when they welcome the Florida Panthers to the MCI Center.

Washington is expected to get back starting goaltender Olaf Kolzig after the former Vezina winner missed five games with a wrist sprain. The Caps went 2-3 in his absence, but the two wins have come in the last three contests.

On Tuesday night Bruce Cassidy's club slipped out of Nationwide Arena with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Peter Bondra went from prospective goat to hero when he scored the game-winner with four seconds remaining in the extra session. The decisive tally came after the Slovakian sniper had been whistled for a tripping penalty with 15.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

Bondra extended his points streak to five games, having contributed four tallies and two helpers in that time. Bondra's seven markers overall tie him with Jaromir Jagr for the team lead.

Jeff Halpern had a goal and an assist and Mike Grier also scored for the Capitals, who won for just the second time in seven tries (2-4-1). Sergei Gonchar added two helpers, and Sebastien Charpentier stopped 26 shots in the win.

Charpentier has performed admirably in the last three games, and made a strong case to stay with the big club and unseat veteran Craig Billington as the backup. When Kolzig is officially removed from injured reserve, the Capitals will have to decide who -- Charpentier or Billington -- to send down to the AHL.

Washington, 2-1 at home this season, continues its MCI set Saturday against Philadelphia.

Florida, meanwhile, has also won two of its last three, including Wednesday's 4-3 overtime victory over visiting Pittsburgh. Valeri Bure scored at 2:19 of overtime to decide the tilt, as the Panthers bounced back after surrendering a lead with nine seconds left in regulation.

Viktor Kozlov, Olli Jokinen and Kristian Huselius also scored, while Goaltender Roberto Luongo turned aside 26 shots for the Panthers, who won for only the second time in their last six games (2-3-1).

Florida improved to 4-0-0-1 in one-goal games this season. The Panthers, 3-4 on the road, return home to face Calgary on Saturday.

Washington and Florida skated to a 1-1 tie in Sunrise on October 26, and four of the last six meetings have been decided by one goal. The Capitals are 4-2-1 in the last seven clashes overall, and the Panthers have dropped seven of their last eight in DC.