The Washington Capitals dropped their season opener by a score of 6-3 in Tampa Bay.  The loss was pretty ugly from a defensive standpoint.  As we stated in several pre-season article and you likely read elsewhere, the biggest concern entering the short 48 game season for the Caps was familiarity and comfort with a new system in Washington.  That comfort was lacking Saturday evening. 

After an extended layoff, not only do lines have to work on developing line chemistry, but also the offensive and defensive systems installed by new bench boss Adam Oates.  Oates' system is starkly different than Dale Hunter's defense-first system of last season.  The problem for the Caps is two fold.  First, they had a very abbreviated training camp to pick up the components of the system.  Second, with only 48 games on the regular season schedule, games early in the season are much more critical than the lengthy 82 game schedule.  Room for error and system development is very short. 

It was clear by sight and by the fact Tampa recorded 6 goals that the Caps struggled to pick up the nuances of the defense.  Oates believes it will take some time. 

Learning a new system takes time, a luxury the Capitals don’t have in this schedule. In case that wasn’t enough, the players must also find ways to ramp up their endurance to handle an NHL workload.

“It’s tough,” Coach Adam Oates said of the challenges to get up to speed with a new system. “It’s going to take the guys awhile and we’ve talked about that. Hopefully we can win enough games until it becomes automatic.”

Question moving forward is just how long will take for the Caps to become familiar with and comfortable in the system.  More on the system change. 

Chuck Gormley says grading Alex Ovechkin in the season opener is difficult to do and gives an incomplete.  Ovechkin is not only learning the new system as well, but is adjusting to playing right wing at times. 

Quick Ups and Downs:

Up:

Joe Ward.  Wardo recorded two goals in the season opener.  Both goals came from net presence and being around the net for rebounds left by Tampa goalie Anders Lindback.   Kudos to Wardo. 

John Carlson.  Carlson recorded 25 minutes of ice time and finished a +2.  He also recorded 4 blocked shots.  A solid game for the youngster. 

Down:

Braden Holtby:  System unfamilairty, fine.  However, allowing six goals can't all be blamed on the system.  Holtby had a phenomenal playoff run last year, but did we really expect him to play at that level every game?  If you did, you were fooling yourself.  He is human. 

Special Teams:  Caps got three opportunities and fumbled them away.  Overall, they were 1-4 on the man advantage.  The penalty kill was even worse.  Caops ended up a man short 7 times, including a 5 on 3, and allowed 3 Tampa PP goals.  Certainly not the start that Adam Oates wanted as he stressed the importance of improved special teams play.  Didn't happen Saturdasy night.  l

System News:  The Caps' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears hosted an outdoor winter classic yesterday at historic Hershey Park Stadium.  The Bears fell to WB Scranton 2-1 in over time. 

Eight members of the Washington Nationals have been named to rosters for the World Baseball Classic. Only two players, Danny Espinosa (Mexico) and Roger Bernadina (Netherlands) are on the Nats 40-man roster.

Other Washington players invited:

Matthew Torra- Italy

James Van Ostrand- Canada

Robbie Cordemans- Netherlands

Spencer Kiebroom- Netherlands

Randolph Oduber- Netherlands

Adrian Nieto- Spain

The World Baseball Classic will be played in March.

AP Photo/Mark Terrill

Winning the second game of a back-to-back on a western road trip was never going to be easy for the Washington Wizards, particularly when the second game was against the Los Angeles Clippers, owner of the second-best record in the NBA this season. Unfortunately, the Wizards made it even tougher on themselves by committing some very preventable mistakes at critical moments in the game, allowing a Clippers team that was ice cold from the floor, to escape with a 94-87 win. The defeat drops the Wizards to 8-30 and 1-2 on this road trip. 

Washington shot only 41.6% from the field and a miserable 55.6% from the free throw line, with the starters missing 6 of the 7 free throws they attempted. The Clippers were not much better, shooting only 36.6% from the field and 67.7% from the line. However, their 58-43 advantage on the boards and 18-11 advantage on turnovers were keys to their win last night. 

The Wizards actually ralled to trail by only one point with 93 seconds left in regulation, but a few of those mistakes I mentioned in the above paragraph doomed their effort to failure. The Wizards forced a Chris Paul missed shot, but allowed one of the 22 offensive rebounds grabbed by the Clippers last night and that led to a magnificent Paul assist to Blake Griffin for a layup that put the Clippers up by 3 points. John Wall was called for a palming violation -- that looked legitimate to me, but is probably not called against better teams -- and Chris Paul sealed the game with a push-off on Wall to get the space he needed for a 14-foot bucket that effectively ended the game. 

John Wall had a very solid game, scoring a game-high 24 points to go with his 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 turnovers in a season-high 31 minutes. If the team was wondering how Wall would respond to his first back-to-back since returning from an injury that cost him the first 33 games of the season, they now have their answer. Unfortunately, Wall didn't get a lot of help from his teammates. Bradley Beal scored 13 points on 5-11 shooting, but did not seem right after injuring his right wrist in a bad fall caused by a brutal foul by Denver Nuggets Kosta Koufos the night before. Nene [12 points, 7 rebounds, 6-14 shooting] seemed unable to jump and run properly and I have to wonder if he's suffering from some knee tendinitis, as mentioned by Wizards play-by-play announcer Steve Buckhantz. Trevor Ariza added 11 points and four rebounds off the bench, but that was about all the help John Wall got. 

Kevin Seraphin managed only 4 points on 7 shots and Jordan Crawford, clearly still battling his way back from injury, scored only 3 points and missed 4 of his 5 shots from the field.

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul did not light it up last night, combining to hit only 11 of 34 shots, but they did make 15 of 19 foul shots and Griffin seemingly drew a foul call on every other possession in the fourth quarter, to the dismay of Trevor Booker, who came in to the game and did a pretty fair job on Griffin, I thought. 

In the end, though, the Wizards came up short and were outraged by the favoritism they thought the referees were showing to the Clippers. [However, the Clippers only shot 4 more free throws than Washington, 31-27.] John Wall complained bitterly to the refs about Chris Paul shoving him off before that big 14-foot shot, and I thought he was right, but, of course, the refs paid no attention. Booker had to be restrained by his teammates or he might have attacked Blake Griffin, who caught Booker with a rough elbow under the boards. Booker later asserted that Griffin should have had the foul called and been thrown out of the game for what he thought was a flagrant-2 foul that was never called. 

In a way, I was impressed at how well the Wizards played, even with two starters struggling with injuries and going up against a top team the night after beating another good western conference club. This Wizards team is clearly playing much better than the one that embarrassed itself in the first 2+ months of the season. It wasn't enough last night, however, and the Wizards could have overcome tough calls from the officias if they had hit their free throws and guarded the glass more aggressively. Their failures to do so were responsible for their 30th loss of the season.

Doug Pensinger

The Washington Wizards upset the Denver Nuggets in Denver last night 112-108 to even their five-game road swing record at 1-1.

Denver is one of the toughest places for a visiting team to win and that alone should have been intimidating enough for a team that had lost 15 of its first 16 road games this year. But with wins this year over the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Wizards [now 8-29] can seemingly win anywhere at any time. Also, they can lose anywhere at any time. But this time, last night, they won -- thanks to a big fourth quarter, domination of the glass, great shooting, and a big defensive play in the waning seconds by the backup point guard still working his way back into shape. 

The Wiz and Nuggets played a close first half until Denver pulled ahead a bit at the end of the second quarter and took a 50-45 lead into the intermission. Then DC-area native Ty Lawson exploded, hitting 4 3-pointers and pouring in 23 of Denver's 37 points in the third quarter. Washington refused to go away, however, and, led by rookie Bradley Beal and his 23 points, the Wiz scored 35 points of their own in the third, keeping the game close and trailing by only 7 as the fourth quarter began. 

That's when the Wizards began their comeback. Washington blasted out of the gate, scoring the first twelve points of the quarter to take a 92-87 advantage, led by Kevin Seraphin, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the final period. John Wall also took over in the fourth, scoring eight of his 14 points and also coming up with the big defensive stop at the end. With the Wizards clinging to a 110-108 lead with time running out, Lawson took an in-bounds pass about 23 feet from the basket and drove to his right, losing Martell Webster in the process. John Wall saw Webster out of position so he left his man and literally leaped over Webster to get high and block Lawson's potentially gamea-tying shot. Wall then recovered the loose ball, was fouled to stop the clock and then calmly sank both free throws for the final score of 112-108. 

Wall was fantastic, scoring 14 points on just 9 shots, dishing 12 assists and grabbing four rebounds. He did commit six turnovers, however. Washington's balanced scoring attack, with three starters in double figures and three reserves -- and both the starters and bench scoring 56 points -- was a key factor in the win. Trevor Ariza scored 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds off the bench, Emaka Okafor and Martell Webster and ten points and 7 boards and 10 points and 5 boards respectively. 

Washington shot 51% from the field, 48% on 3-pointers and out-rebounded the Nuggets 45-34. 

Both Nene in his homecoming to Denver, the team he played for for 9 years, and Javale McGee, who played his first three years for the Wizards, were ineffective last night. McGee scored 6 points on 2-7 shooting and committed four fouls in 14 minutes off the bench and his -14 court ratio indicates how badly he and Denver's other reserves were outplayed by Washington's bench. Nene looked nervous to start the game and never really settled in, managing only 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 turnovers in 29 minutes. The two players were traded for each other last year. 

Washington plays in Los Angeles next against the 31-9 Clippers, who have won 3 straight and sit atop the Pacific Division.

It is not the season opener the Washington Capitals wanted, or for that matter, expected.  In the career debut of new bench boss Adam Oates, the Capitals got ripped by the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Tampa Bay to fall to 0-1 on the season. 

The Caps were inflicted by bad defense and bad goaling from Branden Holtby.  There are some out there that may lay this loss completely on poor defense, but Holtby was far from sharp, very far.  You give up six goals you don't put that all on defense.  Goalies are expected to make hard saves.  Holtby didn't.  However, Oates is going to have to solve the porous defensive issues.  There is an argument to be made to be an offensive based system.  However, the defense was just horrid.  If that is the case, then expect many games this season with the Caps allowing four or more goals.  Calle Johnasson, the Caps defensive coach, has much work to do. 

Washington got three goals on the night, all from rebounds left by Tampa goalie Anders Lindback.  The first two came from Joe Ward, who found himself in the center of the ice on rebounds left by Lindback.  Ward scored twice, getting off to a nice start in 2013.  Wolski buried a rebound off  a Mike Robeiro shot to give the Caps their third goal of the game. 

Overall, if you missed the Caps season opener, kneel down and give thanks.  You missed nothing.  Nothing at all.

Alexander Ovechkin finished with 4 shots on net, no points.  Nicklas Backstrom has three shots, no points.  Washington was 1 for 4 on the power play, while allowing 2 power play goals on the penalty kill.  Certainly not the result Oates anticipated. 

Multi-Point Scorers:  

Joel Ward, 2 goals

Wojtek Wolski, 1 goal, 1 assist

Player of the Game:  Joel Ward, 2 goals   

Hall of Fame former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver has died at the age of 82. Weaver passed away while on a Carribean cruise associated with the Orioles. Weaver took the O's to the World Series four times over 17 seasons. The fiery Weaver was ejected from games 91 times, including once in both games of a doubleheader.

The Washington Nationals have avoided salary arbitration with two pitchers.  Reliever Drew Storen signed a $2.5 million deal yesterday to avoid arbitration.  Storen shared closing duties last season with arbitration eligible Tyler Clippard, after returning from elbow surgery. 

Storen will not be handling the closer role for the Nats in 2013.  A few days ago, the Nats inked premier reliever Rafael Soriano to a two year, $28 million deal.  Nats GM Mike Rizzo made clear in Soriano's introductory press conference that Soriano was signed to handle ninth inning duties.  The Storen deal includes incentives based on games pitched and would allow him to be paid money of a typical closer.  Storen's earliest possible free agency season will come in 2017.  

After missing three months last season, Storen returned to the Nationals bullpen and posted a 3-1 record with 4 saves.  In 30.1 innings, he posted a 2.37 ERA.  Storen was part of the fifth game bullpen implosion against the St. Louis Cardinals that ended Washington's playoffs last season.   

Ross Detwiler won the confidence of manager Davey Johnson after a successful pre-season.  Detwiler locked down the fifth starter role for the Nats last season and put up impressive numbers.  Detwiler appeared in 31 games, of which, 27 were starts.  He posted a solid record of 10-8 with a healthy 3.40 ERA.  He threw 164.1 innings and recorded 105 strike outs.  Oppsoing batter only batted .241 against Detwiler.  Detwiler's earliest free agency year is 2016. 

The Nats now have five players left that are salary arbitration eligible.  They are OF Roger Bernadina, P Tyler Clippard, P Jordan Zimmermann, and SS Ian Desmond.

UPDATE:  Reliever Craig Stammen has avoided slary arbitration as well.  Stammen and the Nats agreed to terms on a two year deal on Friday.   The deal will allow the Nats and Stammen to avoid arbitration to 2015.  Stammen was one of the most effective relievers for the Nats in 2012.  He appeared in 59 games out of the Nats bullpen and posted a 6-1 record with 1 save.  In 88.1 innings, Stammen fanned 87 batters and recorded an impressive 2.34 ERA.   

The East West Shrine game is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Kickoff is 4pm and will be carried live by the NFL Network.

It is the first of a series of college football all-star games over the next week, culminating with the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama next weekend.

Who should you be scouting for the Redskins in advance of April's NFL draft? Well, as everyone knows, the Skins do not have a first round pick as it is property of the St.Louis Rams as partial payment in the trade that acquired the draft pick to select Robert Griffin III. Washington does have seven picks, with an extra selection in the fifth round, coming from New England in the trade that sent Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots.

Last season's game featured RB Alfred Morris and G Josh LeRibeus, who both turned out pretty well!

QB Colin Klein Kansas State 6'4" 230- What if RGIII isn't available until October? Or until 2014? Klein can run the read option and some project him as a defender among the back seven. (#7 East)

OT Terron Armstead Arkansas Pine-Bluff 6'5" 310- Versatility to play both guard and tackle, has zone blocking skill set. Considered by many to have had the best week of practice. (#78 East)

OT  Manase Foketi West Texas A&M 6'5" 325- Kansas State transfer needs work on technique but has potential to be an absolute mauler. (#67 West)

LB  Keith Pough Howard 6'2" 240- If Rob Jackson becomes too pricy and/or London Fletcher hangs up the spikes, the 'Skins may have more of a need at linebacker than you expect. Not sure how he is on the West squad. (#15 West)

S    Jahleel Addae Central Michigan 5'11" 200- Showed leadership and versatility in Little Caesar's Bowl against Western Kentucky. Potential special teams standout on day one. (#15 West)

S    Duke Williams Nevada 6'0" 200- A strong safety with cover skills ++. Two time All-Conference performer was also recruited by Southerrn Cal ouf of high school.(#5 West)

S    Shamarko Thomas Syracuse 5'10"210- One of four co-captains, was Syracuse's leading tackler this season. Virginia Beach native was first team All-Big East selection.(#29 West)

S    Zeke Motta Notre Dame 6'2" 220- Getting a tone of publicity this week, but mainly because of his roomate in South Bend (Manti Te'o). The success of Vikings rookie and Notre Dame grad, S Harrison Smith can only help. (#26 West)

S    Cooper Taylor Richmond 6'4" 230- What's not to like about a jumbo safety, who is also a local product? Could be a bigger, more athletic verson of Reed Doughty. (#1 East)

Ike Hilliard has left Washington and taken a lateral position coaching wide receivers for the Buffalo Bills. Hilliard only spent one season as a position coach with the Redskins. Secondary coach Raheem Morris is scheduled to interview for the Defensive Coordinator position in Cleveland today, so Head Coach Mike Shanahan could be looking for at least two new coaches.

The Washington Capitals are set to kick off their 48 game shortened season tomorrow night at 7:30 against division rival Tampa Bay Lightning.  Besides Brooks Laich and Dmitry Orlov, the Caps enter the game relatively healthy. 

To welcome back fans, the Capitals hosted a Fan Appreciation yesterday at Verizon Center.  Here is more on yesterdays events.  The National Hockey League has been taking out full page newspaper ads across the country in an attempt to send apologies to fans.  We will begin to see this weekend the impact of the lockout.  It is not just about arena attendance, but down the road, we will see if TV ratings and merchandise sales are affected.  Two lockouts in 8 years is tough to swallow and the NHL will have to come up with some creative ways to make amends.  It really isn't about us die hard fans, it is more about casual fans and new fans to the sport and whether they return. 

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is thrilled with the new CBA and glad to have that in the past.  Ted --- got an idea.  How about giving fans a nice gesture and have the NHL swallow the costs of the NHL ticket!  Ted tells us he never turn a profit on the Caps --- yet.  Well, then, you won't miss the $60 in NHL ticket revenue.  Might even get some to tune in who have refused to put any money in NHL pockets this season. 

Stephen Whyno from the Washington Times preview the Caps season.  CNNSI previews the Eastern Conference.  NHL.com adds their season preview for the Caps. 

Speaking of health, remember Tom Poti.  He appears to be pain free and ready to roll for this season.  After a small conditioning stint with AHL Hershey, he is back in DC.  More on Poti's return to the game. 

Mike Vogel tells us that one of the top priorities of new coach Adam, Oates is to wake up the Washington power play.  Amen!  A healthy Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom are critical. 

Having a healthy Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom should give the Caps’ power play a boost, as should the off-season addition of center Mike Ribeiro. Oates has also introduced some new wrinkles to the way the Caps operate when they’re a man to the good, and the team hopes that the combination of talent and tweaks can bring Washington back into the top 10 in the NHL in power play prowess this season.

Mike Harris doesn't believe in the goalie sharing system.  He believes that Braden Holtby did enough last season to warrant the starting role this season.

Face it Caps. This is your best goalie, your best in years. Embrace it. Go with it.  Oates said all the right things earlier in the week. Both will play. Of course they will — no keeper can play every game. His view might change with more experience, Oates said. Prior noted Holtby and Neuvirth have “both accomplished quite a bit in their short careers, but they have yet to prove themselves as bona fide No. 1 NHL goalies.”

Jim Williams interviews Caps CSN Washington announcer Joe Beninati.  Beninati is looking for the return of Alex Ovechkin under new bench boss Adam Oates. 

There is no doubt that Alex Ovechkin will find Oates to be a perfect coach for him. Having Ovi playing from both the left and right sides will open up a number of scoring options. He will also learn that he as a better defender he can create offense.

Speaking of Ovechkin, he has another franchise record to turn his sights on, the scoring mark of Peter Bondra during the last 48 game shortened season.  Bondra scored 34 goals during that season.  We are ready to count Alex!

Not only will Ovi be the torch bearer for Russia in the 2014 Sochi games, but Ted has no problem with it either.  You can read more here. 

Clayton Hunt thinks this is the year for the Caps and a Stanley Cup trip. 

District Sports Page reviews practice notes from yesterday.   Russian Machine brings you photos from practice yesterday. 

System News:  Here is the latest Caps prospect report from the official Caps site.  Congrats to Tom Kundratek for being named to the AHL All Star team.  The Bears outdoor showdown with the Baby Pens at Hershey Park Stadium on January 20 will be televised locally on ABC-27 in Harrisburg.   Currently, in their division, the Bears sit in third place, ten points out of second and eleven points out of first.  Meanwhile, the Caps AA ECHL affiliate Reading Royals lead the ECHL with a 26-9-2-2 record and 56 points.  They have a 4 point lead for the top overall spot in the ECHL. 

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