On Saturday night, Arber Xhekaj played the kind of game that could help him solidify his position in the Montreal Canadiens lineup.
Lost in the midst of the Montreal Canadiens’ big win over the Utah Mammoth yesterday was the performance of blueliner Arber Xhekaj. Since Kaiden Guhle went down to injury, Xhekaj and Jayden Struble have been regulars on the blueline, but now that Guhle has started skating again, one can wonder who will make way when he’s ready to return to action.
A week ago, my answer would have been Struble because he has played a better overall game since Guhle’s injury. Still, in the game against the New Jersey Devils, the blueliner showed he is young, too, and can make bad plays, taking an ill-advised penalty in the third period (he got two, but the first was questionable).
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I don’t know if there’s a link with Xhekaj’s performance last night, but he looked like he was playing looser with much more confidence. He was making good reads, pinching when it was time to do so and hitting at opportune moments as well.
Clearly, Martin St-Louis liked what he saw and had him on the ice for 14 minutes; only twice this season did he play more than that. To be effective, Xhekaj has to use his physicality without pushing it too much; he has to pick his moments, and that’s precisely what he did, landing four big hits but never taking himself out of the play to do so. He also attempted six shots, two of which found their way to the goalie, adding one blocked shot and ending his night with a plus-two rating.
It was a solid game for the big blueliner, and the type of performance that truly showcases what he can bring to the game aside from his ability to drop the gloves. Nowadays, that’s just not enough to get in the lineup. The days of the goons are long gone, and to make the lineup, you need to be able to play the game. Xhekaj can do it, but he doesn’t always show it. On Saturday night, he did.
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