Arber Xhekaj Sends a Clear Message to Martin St. Louis

To the delight of fans, number 76 once again stepped up against the Sabres, sending a strong message to his head coach Martin St-Louis. Indeed, Xhekaj possibly had his best game of the season, being simply impenetrable in the defensive zone while also adding some offense to his game.

Clearly, Wifi wants to stay in the lineup and is doing everything in his power to keep his spot on the Montreal team!

Just like last Saturday, he shone offensively, scoring with a cannon shot from the blue line to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead. He also generated several good scoring chances, finishing the game with four shots on goal.

Wow! Everyone knows he has a lightning-fast shot, and it's great to see him shooting more.

Defensively, Arber Xhekaj was a constant threat to his opponents, delivering numerous impactful hits. His decision-making was much improved, knowing exactly when to hit the Sabres' forwards, "flirting" with the limit set by the referees.

Moreover, he did not turn the puck over in his own territory, an aspect that had been greatly lacking in his game recently. Certainly, if the 6'4", 240-pound colossus can repeat this performance game after game, he will undoubtedly become a key player for the Blue-White-Red.

Even though he started the game on the third defensive unit, Arber Xhekaj was quickly paired with veteran David Savard on the second pair. He finished the game with a total ice time of around 19 minutes (18 minutes and 52 seconds), a total he hadn't reached since last November 4th.

Despite the loss, Martin St-Louis had only good things to say about his young protege, indicating that it was probably the most complete game played by Arber Xhekaj since his arrival in Montreal.

Indeed, the Sheriff is back and if he can continue on this trajectory, there's no doubt he will retain his spot in the Montreal lineup. He just sent a serious message to the management and it's really encouraging to see him play with such emotion.