Arber Xhekaj at the end of the game: Martin St-Louis finally puts his trust in #72

Mathis Therrien
Arber Xhekaj at the end of the game: Martin St-Louis finally puts his trust in #72
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

The referees' decision to penalize only Arber Xhekaj after a scuffle in which Leafs players threw violent punches to Kirby Dach's face last night really caused quite a stir.

The reaction on the Habs' bench and the looks of bewilderment on the faces of Zachary Bolduc, Martin St-Louis, and Alex Newhook as they listened to the referees' explanations really say it all.

The referees almost handed the Montreal Canadiens a loss—and an egg on their face.

In short, that penalty called on Arber Xhekaj nearly sank the Habs, as the Leafs scored two quick goals.

Martin St-Louis could have decided at that point to play it safe with Arber Xhekaj, considering that the referees are constantly keeping an eye on him, but instead, the head coach defended his defenseman and gave him some great opportunities.

In fact, St. Louis decided to put his trust in Arber Xhekaj in the final minutes of the game, while the Leafs were on a 6-on-4 power play for nearly four minutes.

This is a wonderful show of confidence from St. Louis toward his physical defenseman, who made the most of the opportunity by clearing the puck with confidence.

Seriously, St. Louis gave Xhekaj a great opportunity—he's been playing really good hockey over the past few games, which coincides with Jayden Struble's departure for Nashville.

In fact, ever since the Habs traded Struble to the Predators, Xhekaj has really stepped up and been playing some great shifts without making any mistakes.

Well, obviously, #72 is undisciplined, but when you see the kind of penalty he took yesterday, you realize it's more a case of the referees picking on him because of the name on his jersey.

St. Louis finally seems to hold Xhekaj in high regard, whereas before, it was very clear that St. Louis wasn't the biggest fan of #72.

It's great to see Xhekaj's progress; he forms a great pairing with Adam Engstrom in Mike Matheson's absence.

The two guys complement each other well and don't get the team into trouble.

Some people love to criticize Xhekaj—for example, for his fights that supposedly shift the momentum (in the wrong direction against the Winnipeg Jets), for his penalties, and for his general lack of discipline—but in the end, Xhekaj keeps his spot and plays well.

Let's hope he continues this strong run of play that has earned him his coach's confidence.


In Brief

– Tough news for the Flames.

– Maybe.

– Unfortunately, the rebuild is still ongoing for now.

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