With their playoff fate on the line, the Canes scored on their first shot, got a hat trick from Chad LaRose and used a preposterously favorable bounce to put the game away on their way to a critical 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

Eric Staal opened the scoring and LaRose scored his first two goals to build a three-goal, second-period lead as the Canes outshot the Lightning 29-14 through two periods and ran their home record to 13-1-2 in the past 16 games.

"We were excited to be back in our building, and we wanted to take control," Staal said. "We competed hard and played our style of game, and we were rewarded."

The Canes were up 3-1 when Dennis Seidenberg dumped the puck into the Tampa Bay zone off the glass. It took a right-angle carom toward the crease, and as Lightning goalie Mike Smith did a comic pratfall trying to reverse direction, Scott Walker swept the puck into the net.

It was the kind of break the Canes desperately needed as they attempt to hold off the Washington Capitals in the Southeast Division. The Capitals host the Lightning tonight, and a Tampa Bay regulation win would clinch the title for the Canes.

If the Capitals win tonight, the Canes would need a win over the Florida Panthers on Friday or a Washington loss against the Panthers on Saturday to win the division.

Either way, their position is far more secure this morning than it was late Tuesday, after a 4-1 loss in Washington that left the Canes and Capitals tied with 90 points.

"We know the deal," Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said. "Coming back home, we had to make sure we won tonight. Our guys played with a lot of heart and a lot of guts tonight."

The Canes got Matt Cullen back from post-concussion symptoms Wednesday, following the returns of Ray Whitney and Justin Williams on Tuesday and LaRose on Friday, although Williams did not play Wednesday after injuring his back on Tuesday.

Staal's impressive individual effort set the tone on the first shift of the game. After the Lightning stormed into the Carolina zone for the first 20 seconds, Staal bulled past Vincent Lecavalier along the right-wing boards and used Whitney as a decoy to beat Smith to the far side.

Friday, Staal scored in the first minute to send the Canes on their way to a 7-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Laviolette asked him to do the same Wednesday.

"It was awesome," Laviolette said. "We talked about it. His line really got the Atlanta game off to the right start, and we didn't do it last night in Washington."

After the Lightning converted its first power play, LaRose stuffed the puck into the net during a scramble in the crease to give the Canes the lead heading into the first intermission.

And it was LaRose again in the second period, diving onto a loose puck in the slot to make it 3-1.

Tuomo Ruutu added a fifth goal on a third-period power play off a pinpoint pass from Sergei Samsonov before LaRose finished off his first career hat trick with 1:39 to play. LaRose has four goals in four games since returning from a broken leg, all against Tampa Bay.

"I wasn't expecting to be this offensive," LaRose said. "Coach has kind of 'smoothed' me into the lineup a little bit."

Once Walker's goal gave the Canes a comfortable lead, the Lightning -- long since eliminated from the playoffs -- had every reason to ease up. The Canes can only hope they were saving their energy for the Capitals tonight.

The Canes will surely be paying close attention. Or maybe not.

"I've been watching the games and torturing myself to death," Laviolette said. "It's been like getting a root canal. Maybe I'll get a sitter and grab the wife and go to dinner and skip it."