Canadiens' Nick Suzuki, Josh Anderson make feelings known Arber Xhekaj's series debut in commanding win over Capitals

In a commanding 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their playoff series, the Montreal Canadiens witnessed a standout performance from defenseman Arber Xhekaj, who was making his postseason debut.

Xhekaj made his presence felt with physical play, checking Capitals' Tom Wilson and engaging in a fight with Lars Eller. His teammates were quick to applaud his efforts under the playoff pressure.

"I thought he was great all night," said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. "He's under a lot of pressure out there, but he did his job tonight and played a really valuable role in the win. It was nice to get him back in the lineup and see him perform like that." (14:00 onwards)

Xhekaj ended up playing 10:05 minutes in the game, registering 2 PIMs and a +1 plus/minus rating.

Winger Josh Anderson echoed Suzuki's sentiments, praising Arber Xhekaj's impact.

"He's a huge presence. He's been waiting for this opportunity for a little bit now. Right from the get-go, he played unbelievable. He played simple, physical[...] Our guys loved having him in the lineup." (5:32)

The Canadiens' offense was led by goals from Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Alexandre Carrier, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Suzuki himself. In net, Sam Montembeault started but was replaced by Jakub Dobes, who made seven saves.

The Capitals got goals from Connor McMichael, Jakob Chychrun, and Alex Ovechkin. Logan Thompson allowed five goals on 35 shots before an injury forced him out of the game, with Charlie Lindgren stepping in to make four saves in relief.

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Elliotte Friedman says Arber Xhekaj was a major difference-maker in the Canadiens’ Game 3 win

In the second period, tensions flared after Tom Wilson hit Jake Evans, prompting Ivan Demidov to retaliate. Mike Matheson and Christian Dvorak also delivered hits on Wilson. Later, Wilson and Arber Xhekaj tried to fight but were separated, sparking a bigger scuffle with Josh Anderson.

Speaking on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman noted that Arber Xhekaj’s presence allowed the Canadiens to play a more physical style.

"This was brewing and it was brewing ever since Xhekaj showed up on the ice for the warmup. The Canadiens fans were excited and him and Wilson." Friedman said.

"Watch the Canadiens during the game. They start to go after Wilson a little bit. 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.”

The Canadiens now trail the series 2-1. They will look to even things up in Game 4, which is set to take place at the Bell Centre on Sunday.