Arber Xhekaj makes his feelings known on heavyweight fight with Avs' Keaton Middleton

Arber Xhekaj tried to breathe life into his team with a huge fight during their most recent matchup with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. When he saw Keaton Middleton going after Josh Anderson, Xhekaj stepped up and took on the defenseman and sparked his teammates on.

It helped push them to a comeback, though the Montreal Canadiens did fall 5-4 in overtime after pushing the Avalanche to the brink. Still, they earned a valuable point in their quest for the playoffs, something Xhekaj was hoping to do.

He said:

"Obviously we needed some life, it was kinda quiet in there so I wanted to get the boys going and get the building rocking a little bit so I did what I could."

Fights can motivate a team to play harder, and it did push the Habs to get the game into overtime where they ultimately yielded a game-winner to the Avs. They sit one point above the threshold for the playoffs now.

With 75 points, they lead the New York Rangers by one and the New York Islanders by two for the final wild card, so that point they earned was incredibly valuable.

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Arber Xhekaj addresses loss after iconic fight

Arber Xhekaj couldn't spur his team to a victory with his fight, but he did get it into overtime, which may prove to be incredibly important to the team's playoff chances.

Arber Xhekaj led his team to a tight overtime loss (Imagn)

He said, via Habs Fanatics:

"It's incredible what we did in that 3rd. We were so close to blowing the roof off the place, it got taken away pretty quick there in the shootout but we're proud of each other."

He said everyone thought the Canadiens were out of it, but the NHL team grouped together and resolved not to go down without a fight. He said they believe in each other, and their comeback was "special."

The fight showcased Montreal's unwillingness to back down, something the star player believes is true in their general competition as well. Xhekaj said:

"We don't really care who's on the other side. We're not afraid of any team here. We love our game against anyone. Obviously it's good to see how we can compete against that team but we don't care who's on the other side."

Three third-period goals resulted in an overtime period for the Canadiens. While they lost, they remain in the playoff picture.