The Washington Capitals finally got their season underway Friday night in front of their home fans. They welcomed one of their hated division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to town for the first time. However, things did not go how the Capitals nor their fans hoped for or envisioned.

Washington fell 4-0 in the nation's capital on Friday night. There were few positives to take from this one. Washington managed just 19 shots on goal while going 0-for-3 on the power play. The Capitals also didn't fare well on the penalty kill, allowing two goals while a man down.

After the game, new head coach Spencer Carbery didn't hold back with his assessment. “It's sort of the worst-scripted start we possibly could have had,” he said, via The Hockey News. The 41-year-old coached his first career game as an NHL bench boss on Friday.

Tough night for the Capitals

Carbery acknowledged the play of goalie Charlie Lindgren, who received the start as primary option Darcy Kuemper remained with his wife who recently gave birth. “We put him in a tough spot. He wasn't slated to play today; we just didn't help him. That's disappointing,” the Capitals head coach said.

The Penguins were led by their usual suspects. Sidney Crosby scored two goals, both on the man advantage, on Friday. Evgeni Malkin opened the scoring and had three assists. And forward Reilly Smith scored his first goal as a Penguins player in the third period. It was simply a tough night for the Capitals all around.

“Home ice, trying to generate some momentum from a season standpoint, and that certainly did not happen,” Carbery told the media, via The Hockey News. “When you look at the whole body of work, probably as disappointing as it could be scripted. We couldn't stop the bleeding.”

The Capitals have an opportunity to turn things around on Monday. Washington remains home for the upcoming contest as they welcome the Calgary Flames. Calgary is coming off a 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets to begin their season. Prior to Monday's contest, however, Calgary travels to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.