Arber Xhekaj's physical presence in first two periods of Game 4 impresses NHL analyst

Arber Xhekaj made a strong impression during the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 4. NHL analyst Luke Gazdic praised Xhekaj’s performance on Sportsnet's Sunday broadcast. He spoke about Xhekaj alongside other panelists such as Elliotte Friedman and Kevin Bieksa.

Speaking after the second period, Gazdic said he loved Xhekaj’s game and called him an absolute presence on the ice. He pointed out that Xhekaj helped settle things down for the Canadiens.

"I have loved Arber Xhekaj tonight," Gazdic said. "Weird. I'm going to talk about a tough guy. He has been an absolute presence tonight. I think he settled down everything for the Montreal Canadiens here.

"Started in warm-up. You don't have to do anything. You don't even have to say anything. You just have to be there. He's making his presence known at the red lines, letting the other team know 'I'm here, you know, I'm here, I'm willing, I'm able'."

Xhekaj finished the night with six hits, one shot on goal, and played 12:51 minutes in the game. He also received 2 penalty minutes for interference against Capitals' Alexander Alexeyev.

Gazdic highlighted that Xhekaj showed he was willing and able to stand up for his team. He also mentioned how Xhekaj stayed physical but kept things controlled.

"I feel like he's been all over the ice, being physical, like he has to calling out the bench a little bit, riling things up," Gazdic said. "but keeping them, you know, settled down at the same time. His job is to deter, and that's exactly what he's been doing.

"Shout out. I'll give my shout out to Kelly Buchburger and J. F. Houle coach of the Laval Rockets: did a great job with Arber at the minors. I think he's been done a great job deterring tonight and kind of just settling everything down and making sure none of those guys are running around."

Arber Xhekaj helped in defense, but the Canadiens struggled offensively

Arber Xhekaj’s physical style continued even when the Montreal Canadiens were struggling. It helped the Canadiens lead the Capitals 34-26 in total hits.

But Montreal struggled in other areas, especially on the offensive front. They were outshot 26-18 and lost 58.3% of faceoffs. They scored two power-play goals but had trouble at even strength. The Capitals scored four goals in the third period to win the game.

In the regular season, Arber Xhekaj played 70 games for the Canadiens. He scored one goal and had five assists. He also collected 118 penalty minutes. His -13 rating showed some struggles, but he often brought energy and toughness.