• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Hurricanes embark on Cup defense against Ovechkin, Capitals

Jan 26, 2007 - 2:17 PM Washington (20-21-7) at Carolina (25-19-6) 7:00 PM EST

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- The Stanley Cup honeymoon is over for All-Star Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes.

After struggling through a roller-coaster first half to the 2006-07 season, the reigning champion Hurricanes look to start the second half on a positive note Friday when they host All-Star Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

Carolina stumbled to a slow start this season before re-establishing itself as one of the elite clubs in the Eastern Conference.

However, the Hurricanes dropped three of their last four games prior to this week's All-Star break and trail first-place Atlanta (27-15-8) by six points in the Southeast Division.

Carolina's leading scorer with a career-high 100 points last season, Staal also rebounded from a poor start to the campaign and has 22 tallies and 20 assists. He was joined in the All-Star Game by teammate Justin Williams, who has a team-high 23 goals and 22 assists.

Both Staal and Williams represented Carolina well in the midseason showcase, each tallying in the East's 12-9 loss Wednesday. The Hurricanes hope the duo carry momentum into Friday's clash with division rival Washington, which slumped into the All-Star break with four losses in its last five contests.

The reigning Calder Trophy winner, Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 29 goals and 36 assists. But the Russian sensation struggled Wednesday, managing only one tally in his All-Star Game debut.

The Capitals and Hurricanes have split their four meetings this season. The last time the Southeast Division foes squared off was January 18, when Chris Clark and rookie Alexander Semin both tallied twice in Washington's 5-2 victory.