Peter Diana, Post-Gazette The Canadiens made it clear from the opening faceoff that knocking down Sidney Crosby was part of their plan Thursday night.

It's not lost on the Penguins that they have a game at 1:08 p.m. today against the Washington Capitals before they get another crack at Montreal tomorrow on the road, but that didn't stop some lingering feelings from surfacing after a 5-4 shootout win against the Canadiens in a physical game Thursday night.

The message seemed to be: Bring it on.

"The main thing is, we stick together," Penguins center and NHL leading scorer Sidney Crosby said yesterday. "As long as we keep that pack mentality, where everyone sticks up for each other, and we make sure that if they're messing with one guy, they're messing with the rest of the team, too, that makes us a tough team to play against."

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Mark Recchi grimaces after being crosschecked by the Canadiens' Andrei Markov in the second period Thursday night. Click photo for larger image. Scouting Report Matchup: Penguins vs. Washington Capitals, 1:08 p.m. today, Mellon Arena. TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WXDX-FM (105.9). Probable goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury for Penguins. Olaf Kolzig for Capitals. Penguins: Are on 7-0-1 run. ... Are 2-7-1 in first of back-to-back games, 4-6-3 vs. Atlantic Division. Capitals: Have lost two games in a row and four of their past five. ... Are 2-7-1 in first of back-to-back games and have been outscored, 36-11, in the seven losses. ... Beat Penguins, 5-4, in shootout Dec. 11. Hidden stat: The Capitals have won seven games in a row and are 8-1-1 this season when Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin each score at least once. Related articles Penguins may revisit K.C. if talks here sputter Penguins Notebook: ... And Malkin makes three The Five hole: A five-step trip through the stars and numbers of the week for Jan. 26 - Feb. 1

Of particular interest in the hard-hitting game were Maxim Lapierre's butt-ending of Crosby on the game's opening faceoff and Colby Armstrong's hard hit on Canadiens leading scorer Saku Koivu near the end boards in the second period, which was followed by Montreal defenseman Sheldon Souray going after Armstrong.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien bristled yesterday when told that Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau pointed a finger after the game at the Penguins for the incident on the opening faceoff because the home team has the final say on line changes.

"This is the line I put in," Carbonneau said. "All he had to do was put Crosby on the bench. He doesn't have to play his best player against our fourth line."

Therrien responded, "Carbonneau should have looked at our last 25 games. No matter who's on the ice to start the game, it's always Sidney Crosby. He's not going to dictate the way we want to put players on the ice."

Crosby downplayed the incident, saying he has been a target since he played youth hockey. He has been involved in some incidents in his two NHL seasons, most notably a spear from Jason Blake of the New York Islanders last month.

Therrien took a harder stance.

"We see more and more Sidney receiving cheap shots in games," the coach said. "It's got to stop. He's the best player in the league. ... The league's got to protect players like this."

After the Canadiens' practice yesterday in Montreal, Carbonneau told reporters that Armstrong's hit on Koivu was "legal" but also called it a "cheap shot" and said there should have been a penalty. He also remained upset that Souray got minor and major penalties, a 10-minute misconduct and a game-misconduct while Armstrong was not penalized. That gave the Penguins a seven-minute power play on which they scored twice -- but also gave up a shorthanded goal.

Carbonneau added that he and general manager Bob Gainey planned to discuss the incident with league officials.

Therrien not only thought Armstrong's hit was clean, but he also liked the tradeoff the penalties brought.

"I thought that was a great, hard hit by Colby Armstrong, and it had a big impact on the game," he said. "Sheldon Souray is probably one of the best defensemen for them and one of the premier defensemen in the league, and he got kicked out of the game."

Some of the game's intensity no doubt stemmed from both teams clawing to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Like the Penguins and Canadiens, Washington is desperate to qualify for the postseason in a tight Eastern Conference, so the game today also could have a playoff atmosphere.

Whether that means it could get physical remains to be seen, but the Penguins say they are ready for any team that wants to play hardball.

"I think we have guys with toughness and who can play, and that's the best combination," center Dominic Moore said. "You take Army's hit there, it wasn't anything dirty, just good, clean hockey in a physical game, and that's what you look for."

The Penguins rejected the notion that they need an enforcer, a player whose primary responsibility is retaliating, fighting and keeping opponents honest. In fact, they had such a player in Andre Roy, but they let him go on waivers in December.

"I see where people are coming from about an enforcer, but I think it's more of an old-school mentality than where the game's at right now," defenseman Brooks Orpik said.

"You look around the room, guy to guy, I think everyone's going to stick up for one another. Maybe right now we don't have what you might call a heavyweight, but I don't think there's anyone on the team that goes into the game afraid of the other team cheap-shotting them or going after them."

Besides, someone with such a limited role could upset the four-line balance the team has developed.

"There's different ways to react, and, right now, guys stick together," Therrien said. "When Sid receives a shot, the guys stick their nose there. But I saw [defenseman Alain] Nasreddine receive a hard hit in Phoenix, and Brooks Orpik stuck up for his teammate.

"As long as those guys are going to stick together like that, I don't have any problem."