WASHINGTON (AP) -- Long after the smoke cleared from a gaudy pregame pyrotechnic display, the Washington Capitals finally made some fireworks of their own.

Peter Bondra and Chris Simon scored third-period goals and Olaf Kolzig stopped 33 shots as the Capitals rallied to tie the Los Angeles Kings 2-2 Saturday night.

	Washington's Ken Klee and Kings defenseman Mattias Norstrom had a rather abrupt meeting at the MCI Center Saturday.

Luc Robitaille scored his NHL-best seventh goal for the Kings, who seemed well on their way to victory before Washington struck back to salvage a point in its home opener.

"This was a good first step. There was a lot of energy in the building and the fans were cheering," said Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who purchased the team from Abe Pollin last spring. "That third quarter was really intense."

OK, so Leonsis has a bit to learn about hockey. But even a novice fan could appreciate the fashion in which the Capitals fought back.

Blanked by Stephane Fiset for two periods, the Capitals finally broke through when Bondra scored on a power play with 15:57 left to make it 2-1. Simon then scored from between the circles with 8:13 remaining after the puck came to him off the skate of teammate Joe Sacco.

There were plenty of close calls after that, but Kolzig and Fiset were up to the challenge. Fiset stopped a 2-on-1 in the closing seconds of overtime.

"We got a point and I'm happy," Washington coach Ron Wilson said. "In this league, when you're one goal behind going into the third period you're pretty much toast. Two goals, that's an awful steep hill to climb."

Marko Tuomainen scored his first NHL goal for the Kings, who were playing the fifth of seven straight road games to open the season. Fiset finished with 23 saves and an unsatisfying tie.

"The worst part is that we could have five wins right now," said Fiset. "But we have to be very pleased with the road trip."

Los Angeles (3-1-1) heads home for a spell before playing two more road games. The Kings make their home debut in the Staples Center on Oct. 20.

"We talked about calling this a good trip if we won tonight. Now it goes a step below a great trip but a few steps above a good trip," Kings coach Andy Murray said. "We were disappointed we didn't play the way we wanted to in the third period. Territorially, we controlled most of the game."

The Capitals went 0-for-3 on the power play during a scoreless first period and the Kings failed on their two chances with the extra man.

But the third time was different for Los Angeles. Robitaille scored on the power play at 3:25 of the second period, snapping a rebound past Kolzig from the left side of the net after shots by Rob Blake and Jozef Stumpel.

The Kings went up 2-0 at 5:31 on Tuomainen's first NHL goal. The 27-year-old rookie beat Kolzig from between the circles off a centering pass from Craig Johnson.

"I was a little disappointed we gave up those goals in the third period," Tuomainen said. "It would have been nicer to score my first goal in a winning game. But it's nice for our line to get it going offensively."

Said Fiset: "I think we let down a little and they took advantage. But we have to be happy. It's always hard to play on the road."