You could forgive James Reimer for feeling like he was thrown to the wolves. His first start as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes came against the Washington Capitals, a team boasting Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Jakub Vrana.
If that wasn’t enough, the Capitals were looking for payback after being eliminated in the first round this spring by the upstart Hurricanes in a series that saw Warren Foegele become Public Enemy #1 in the nation’s capital.
Adding fuel to the fire was a preseason scrum in which Capitals winger Tom Wilson became incensed after his chirping at the Hurricanes’ bench drew a reply from head coach Rod Brind’Amour.