Carolina has its own absence up front. Seth Jarvis had surgery in late June to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff, and the original timeline was 4-6 months. He's been skating in a no-contact jersey and has said he feels ahead of schedule, but he's on the injured non-roster list to start the season. That opens a door for Felix Unger Sorum. He's 21, put up 66 points in 72 AHL games last year, and is the obvious candidate to take some of Jarvis's minutes.
The blue lines are thin on both sides. Washington's Rasmus Sandin (knee) opens the season on the injured non-roster list and center Patrick Thomas is on IR, so the Caps are short a puck-mover on the back end right away. Carolina is without Alexander Nikishin, who put up 33 points as a rookie and is listed as out. Carolina's preseason preview said his unsigned contract left at least 2 open spots on the Hurricanes' defense, and they brought in P.O. Joseph and re-signed Mike Reilly to help cover them.
Carolina's last game in the data was a 1-0 home loss to the Florida Panthers, which says as much about the goaltending at both ends as it does about the Canes' scoring. For a team whose identity is volume shots and pressure, a shutout on home ice is a result to note, not a crisis. The home team still has the more complete roster. Washington's hopes rest on its captain's lower body.
This is a banner-season opener with the champs at home and a future Hall of Famer trying to make it onto the ice in time. The board hasn't posted a full price yet, so picks will come once it does. The game itself will come down to how Bussi and Kochetkov hold up without Andersen, whether Unger Sorum is ready for NHL minutes, and whether Ovechkin's one-timer is back in the lineup on Friday.