Get over it

A lot has been said by Caps players and coaches about Montreal's pinching and aggressive play with a minute to go in Tuesday's 4-0 loss. Which is ridiculous. Don't like being embarassed in the final minutes of play? Don't like having the other team attack when the result is no longer in question?

THEN DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO ALLOW IT.

Quite simply, the Caps were handed their butts by Montreal two days ago. They need to focus on that, not the fact that the mean old Canadiens didn't let up on them at the end.

Don't want to get kicked while you're down? Great. There's a simple way to avoid it. DON'T GET KNOCKED DOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE. If the Caps hadn't played an absolutely horrendous first period, they wouldn't have had to worry about Montreal piling on at the end because they'd still be in the game.

Tonight brings the second leg of the home and home series. How much the Caps players believe they were being disrespected last game is totally irrelevant. How they come out and play tonight is all that matters. If they can back up their talk with hard nosed play and a win, then they'll be forgiven. If not, they'll look like a bunch of whining losers.

So which is it going to be?