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Dans les coulisses

Arber Xhekaj may have to throw in the gloves even more often

Canadien players flew from Nevada to Arizona yesterday, on the heels of a fine performance (despite the loss) against the Cup champions and current holders of first place in the NHL overall standings.

Several Montreal players took advantage of their evening off in Phoenix to attend the World Series game between the Rangers and Diamondbacks, agame won by the Rangers, who will try to win the final series today, again in Arizona…

As for the Montrealers, they’ll be training in the afternoon (Quebec time), in preparation for tomorrow’s showdown with the university-educated Arizona Coyotes. Will they see the Dbacks again in the evening? We’ll see.

André Tourigny’s men have also been surprising since the start of the season. They have a 4-4-0 record, a plus-7differential… and they’ve just beaten Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks 8-1.

Martin St-Louis’ team will need to keep an eye on Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz tomorrow night – both players have 8 points in 8 games in 2023-24 – as well as Logan Cooley, who is making our Juraj Slafkovsky look bad (6 points vs. 1 point).

But above all, Arber Xhekaj is likely to have his hands full tomorrow night.

This morning, Xhekaj was the most-punished man in the NHL (34 minutes)… and he’ll have plenty of people to dance with tomorrow if he feels like it (or needs to).

Liam O’Brien and Jack McBain each scored a Gordie Howe Hat Trick on Monday night against the Hawks. O’Brien has as many penalty minutes as Xhekaj this season… including two misconduct penalties, as opposed to just one for Xhekaj.

Will our #72 be dancing with O’Brien tomorrow night? He’s a little smaller than our Sheriff, but no less strong. We’ll see.

Note that O’Brien is currently sporting a warrior’s black eye…

A littlephilosophy
Arber Xhekaj has fought two fights in nine games so far this season. Is that enough fights for him?

It’s hard to say no. Especially if you’re in favor of abolishing fights, hehe!

Only Mark Kastelic and Andreas Englund threw down the gloves more often than Xhekaj in 2023-24 (3)…

And the Canadian Sheriff is on track to do so 18 times this season if he keeps up the pace. That would be more than Nicolas Deslauriers’ 14 fights last season, the leader in this regard.

Let’s not forget that Xhekaj also suffered a serious injury last year during a fight, which ended his season two months before any of the team’s few healthy players.

We didn’t want to see him throw down the gloves too often this season… we wanted him to choose his opponents; that’s what he’s doing. We can’t cry…

And since the team wins more often than it loses, Xhekaj doesn’t have to constantly try something to wake his team up. The two fights he’s had this season have been to defend himself from a dirty hit, or to defend a teammate.

So no, Xhekaj doesn’t necessarily have to fight harder, especially since when he does so against a fourth-trio forward, he hurts his team by depriving them of a defenseman (not a depth forward).

But…

Xhekaj must and will have to constantly remind everyone that he is a physical, robust and respected player if he is to retain his place in the line-up over the next few years. He’s already in “camp for the great years ahead” mode.

Along with Matheson, Guhle, Hutson and Reinbacher, Romanov Xhekaj will have to battle (figuratively this time) with Harris, Kovacevic, Barron, Engstrom and company to keep his place in the line-up. And he has the disadvantage of being left-handed…

Will Xhekaj feel the need to throw down the gloves more often between now and the end of the season to prove that he’s an untouchable, like?

One fact remains: Xhekaj is polarizing. He’s become the idol of some, but others keep saying that he’s having a bad season and that he’s one of the Canadiens’ most dysfunctional assets (along with Slafkovsky and Anderson ). La Presse, in particular, has been less than complimentary of our Sheriff’s play since the start of the season. Quite the contrary, in fact!

Xhekaj has two assists in 9 games, a minus-1 differential – he’s one of seven players to be in the minus for the Habs(minus-1) – and he’s handed out the most body checks for the CH this season (23). The good and the not-so-good!

That’s why some love him and others wonder if he’ll still be around in two or three years.

But since he instills a dose of courage in his teammates, is a fan favorite, has an exceptional history as an undrafted player and doesn’t – and won’t – cost much, I want to see him stay with the Tricolore for many years to come. And the kids obviously do too!

Hopefully he won’t be on the power play the day we aspire to the big honors though! #EveryoneHasAChair

In gusto

– Nicklas Backstrom announces that he will “step away from the game” due to injuries. Sad news.

– The Habs want to “manage the puck better” and give away fewer shots and scoring chances. It showed in Vegas. Will it “stick”? [TVA]

– The Rocket will be in action tonight in Laval. Will they get back to winning ways?

– No more gray jerseys for CF Montreal.

– Montreal CF is expected to announce a major hire in the coming days.