It's easy to watch only the regular season for the past three seasons and forget that the game changes once we get to the playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals haven't had the most physical of the first eight series, but the Habs have been on the receiving end of most of the abuse.
The abuse is starting to add up, as Brendan Gallagher and Cole Caufield have been the victims. Gallagher has taken two cross checks to the face, while Caufield took one to the upper body towards the end of Game 2. Caufield has also been ran over by Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson at different points in the first two games.
The problem isn't that the abuse is going on. This type of physicality has been present in the NHL Playoffs for our entire lifetimes, and it's why most of us love the game. Don't let the sector of social media that hates physical play in hockey distract you from how good playoff hockey can be, and just enjoy it for what it is.
Does it suck to see the Capitals take advantage of the Canadiens physically and bully them for the first two games? It definitely isn't the way Habs fans wanted these playoffs to go. However, there comes a certain point where the team's best players will have to realize they need to take the abuse and battle through it. Caufield complaining to the referees in Game 2 did nothing but show the Capitals that the physicality is working and the Canadiens are starting to crack.
Is the answer for Martin St. Louis to dress Arber Xhekaj or Michael Pezzetta? Sometimes you do have to fight fire with fire and crank up the intensity level. Washington might be reluctant to continue their bullying tactics if there is some risk of retaliation in the Canadiens' lineup. If Montreal is only going to play three of their forwards for three shifts combined in the third period, dressing Xhekaj and/or Pezzetta might be the move.
St. Louis and the coaching staff will figure out the correct moves, but the best thing for Canadiens fans to do is enjoy the playoffs. We slog through seven months of mostly non-physical, sometimes boring hockey just to bask in it's glory for two months during the playoffs. Let's hope the Canadiens figure out how to adapt to the added layer of physicality and stop trying to turn playoff hockey into an IIHF game.