Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj on his Game 3 impact: "Make everyone grow a few inches" 

Arber Xhekaj had a solid Game 3 on Friday at Bell Centre against the Washington Capitals. He played 10:05 minutes, recorded four hits and finished +1. He didn’t score any points but helped physically. The Montreal Canadiens won 6-3 and now trail 2-1 in the series.

After the game, Xhekaj spoke about his role. When asked what his presence meant, he replied:

"I'm not sure. I think I just try and make everyone grow a few inches out there on our team, and I feel like we did tonight, and we had really good push back and we played ball."

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Xhekaj also reacted to the bench fight in the second period, where Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson got into it near the benches.

"That's hockey,” Xhekaj added. “Its the craziest thing ever. I never seen a fight on the bench like that, but, I mean, yeah, it's hockey, and that's all."

Arber Xhekaj is known more for his toughness than for scoring. In the regular season, he had one goal and four assists. He also had a -13 rating and averaged 14:37 ice time. Still, his physical game has helped the Canadiens in protecting their players from aggressive teams, like the Caps. Xhekaj played a big role in stepping up for his team against Tom Wilson.

The Canadiens scored three straight goals in the third period, giving them a strong finish in Game 3. The win will give the team some much-needed confidence and an option to get back into the series in Game 4.

Elliotte Friedman talks about Arber Xhekaj's contributions in Game 3

NHL analysts Elliotte Friedman and Kevin Bieksa believe Arber Xhekaj helped create the tension in Game 3. Friedman said it started when Xhekaj stepped on the ice during warmups. He pointed out how the Canadiens became more aggressive, especially after Wilson hit Evans.

"They start to go after Wilson a little bit," Friedman said via Sportsnet. "He hits Evans, look at Demidov, he takes the legs out from underneath him. You're not thinking that he [Demidov] is the kinda of guy to do that,"

Friedman added that Arber Xhekaj’s presence made teammates feel more confident. Bieksa agreed and said the Canadiens felt safer with Xhekaj in the lineup.

“Everyone gets 20 pounds and grew 3 inches bigger...," Bieksa said. "They all feel like they can take shots at Wilson, because at the end of the day, Anderson or Xhekaj is gonna be the one that answers the bells.”

The Montreal Canadiens will look to keep their momentum going and tie the series in Game 4 at Bell Centre on Sunday.