There's a certain randomness to this opening night matchup between the Bruins and Capitals because of injuries. Boston won't have Brad Marchand while the Capitals are missing Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson and perhaps T.J. Oshie. There are others missing but those are the big names. 

Randomness is good for the underdog. So is a strong road record, which the Bruins had last season going 25-13-3. Washington wasn't a strong home team either finishing 19-16-6. 

The Bruins are expected to have Jeremy Swayman in net. He played his best on the road with a 13-6-2 record, 2.08 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Darcy Kuemper is set to make his Capitals debut. He had an excellent season last year, but now is with a new team with new defensemen. So there could be an adjustment period. 

Boston has defeated Washington in six of the last seven meetings, including going 2-1 versus the Capitals last season.