Arber Xhekaj played an important role in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-2 overtime win on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night, despite seeing limited ice time.
When the Montreal Canadiens lost Noah Dobson to an injury just before the start of the playoffs, many thought they’d be unable to handle the Tampa Bay Lightning, but three games in, the Habs defense has done very well. One blueliner has really impressed: Arber Xhekaj.
Even though he has spent a large part of the season in a duel with Jayden Struble to make the lineup, the 25-year-old is playing with a lot of poise and confidence. While he’s not getting a lot of ice time, when he is on the ice, he’s playing the right way.
On Friday night at the best center, the gritty defenseman landed eight hits (more than anyone on either team) in his 10:40 of action, something everyone has come to expect from him, but he also made a lot of good reads. He joined the offense on a few occasions, picking up an assist, providing some support for the forwards, and even taking two shots on goal, one more than Cole Caufield.
At one stage, in his own zone with two players converging on him, he didn’t panic; he evaluated his options and was able to dish the puck to safety as he braced himself for the hits.
Asked about his third pairing after Friday night’s game, Martin St-Louis had this to say:
They’re playing the game in front of them, and when it’s time to defend, the rest of our group is taking that seriously. He [Arber Xhekaj] has his hits, but he’s not running around everywhere to get those hits; he takes them when they’re there. In the offensive zone, he’s able to bring continuity to what we’re doing. I feel they, him, and Strubs [Jayden Struble] have a good, mature game right now, which helps us not only defend but also carry on the other side of the puck. They give us good minutes; they’re giving us very good hockey right now.
While the coach still heavily favors his top-four defensemen when it comes to ice time, he’s starting to see that his bottom-pairing is playing the right way. On Friday night, they were the only two Canadiens’ rearguards with a positive rating, finishing the game with a plus-two. The way that they have stepped up has almost made Dobson’s loss a non-factor, so far at least.
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