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.

The New York Islanders are battling for supremacy in the Metropolitan but also trying to avoid falling into third place within the division with only six games remaining in the regular season. Trailing first-place Washington by one point, the Islanders go for their third straight win when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

The Montreal Canadiens are clinging to the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot and can take a big step in solidifying their standing when they host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Montreal leads Columbus by two points after Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss at wild-card leader Carolina, but the Blue Jackets have a game in hand with a matchup looming Thursday in Ohio.

The Buffalo Sabres can point to their play away from home as one of the reasons they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth straight season. Buffalo attempts to halt its 12-game road slide when it visits the league-worst Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

The Edmonton Oilers have gotten off to a solid start on their five-game homestand and hope to continue that strong play when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, but it likely will not help them reach the postseason. Edmonton has gone 1-0-1 thus far during the stretch but is still seven points out of a wild-card spot with three other teams in its way.

The Vancouver Canucks barely have a pulse in the race for the second wild card in the Western Conference despite a schedule that was set up to allow them to make a late-season charge. Coming off a pair of feeble offensive performances over the weekend, the Canucks resume their seven-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

The Arizona Coyotes enjoyed a sizzling 10-2-0 stretch to entertain the notion of securing their first playoff appearance since 2011-12, only to lose five in a row (0-3-2) to fall back on wrong side of the postseason picture. The Coyotes bid to get back on track on Tuesday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks, who posted a 7-1 shellacking of Arizona on March 11.