Carolina @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 27, 2018 ) Carolina 1, Washington 3

Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals made the short trek to Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday, with the team's Russian-born captain telling President Donald Trump that they'd like to visit again in the near future. The Capitals look to improve their standing in their pursuit of a second title on Tuesday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in the opener of a home-and-home series.

"It's huge honor for us to be here and meet you personally," Ovechkin told the Commander-In-Chief. "We're going to try to (win) again. We have same team, experienced team, very good group of guys and we're going to try to do it again." The three-time Hart Trophy recipient has failed to find the net in his last four contests to remain stuck on an NHL-best 48 goals heading into Tuesday's tilt with Carolina, against which he recorded a hat trick in a 6-5 shootout win on Dec. 14 in Raleigh, N.C. While Washington has enjoyed a 10-3-1 run in its last 14 games to move atop the Metropolitan Division, Carolina has positioned itself as the Capitals' first-round opponent after winning six of eight to claim hold of the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Rookie Andrei Svechnikov, 18, scored in back-to-back games and fifth time in seven contests on Sunday after converting 3:15 into overtime in a 2-1 victory versus Montreal.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (42-26-7): Sebastian Aho scored two goals and set up two others in the first encounter with the Capitals and also tallied in a 3-1 setback at Washington on Dec. 27. The 21-year-old Finn, who leads the team in goals (30) and points (80), has failed to score and has just three assists in his last seven games overall. Fellow countryman Teuvo Teravainen, who collected a goal and two assists in the first meeting with Washington, has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his last eight games overall.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (44-24-8): Tom Wilson scored in the first contest against Carolina and also tallied in the first period of Sunday's 3-1 win over Philadelphia to boost his goal total to 22, a number that eclipses his sum total of tallies over his first four NHL seasons (21). "Big thing about this time of year is feeling good about your game and executing," the 24-year-old Wilson said. Ovechkin has been executing at a solid clip with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in his last 19 games while fellow forward Brett Connolly has eight (four goals, four assists) in his past six.

OVERTIME

1. Carolina C Jordan Staal has three goals and three assists in his last five games.

2. Washington G Braden Holtby, who elected against attending Monday's festivities, boasts a 14-6-0 mark with two shutouts in 20 career encounters with the Hurricanes.

3. Carolina owns a winning record against each division except for the Metropolitan, against which it has dropped 12 of 22 contests.

PREDICTION: Hurricanes 4, Capitals 2