You know Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj very well. You know, just like I do, that it must have been incredibly tough for him to watch his teammates, Lane Hutson, Brendan Gallagher, and Cole Caufield, get roughed up, while he was stuck in the stands, unable to do anything to help.
This morning, Xhekaj clearly sent a message.
For the first time in a while, he was the first player on the ice before Canadiens practice, and the last one to leave.
He worked extremely hard and is doing everything he can to show Martin St-Louis that he's ready to help the team.
Arber Xhekaj sends a strong message to his coaches with his intensity and work ethic today
He wants to play!
"First player on the ice for Canadiens practice: Arber Xhekaj."
- Eric Engels, Sportsnet
- Eric Engels, Sportsnet
That's exactly what he needs to do!
Arber Xhekaj, 24 years old, is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman with 6 points in 70 games this season, along with 118 penalty minutes.
It's really unfortunate to see that Xhekaj is completely out of the Canadiens' lineup picture right now, but I'm convinced he'll seize his opportunity when Martin St-Louis finally calls on him.
Game 2 of the first-round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals is set for tomorrow night at 7:00 PM, live from Capital One Arena.
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