Arber Xhekaj has always said that fighting is a card in his game. But he would never define himself as a defender with just this quality.
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In his first real game since injuring his right shoulder on Feb. 12, the result of a fight with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais, Xhekaj quickly put his own body to the test.
In the first period, number 72 charged against the big Ryan Reaves, who had just kicked Kaiden Guhle into the field.
For Xhekaj, it was the type of game that fit his definition of the job, which was to protect his teammates.
The day after that shootout loss in Toronto, Xhekaj looked back on his fight against one of the NHL’s best fighters.
“Reaves had just met Ylo (Ylönen) and the fans liked it. When he met Kaiden on the same presence and you could see the numbers on the back, I didn’t hesitate. I had to go there. »
“That’s the role I want to play. If an opponent does it against one of my teammates, I have to intervene. I want to be the player who protects his teammates. I didn’t expect a quick fight. But he fell against the net. I pushed him. »
A thankless role
In Martin St-Louis’ eyes, Xhekaj made the right decision, even if he only had to juggle five defenders for minutes after this incident.
“I understand his approach,” St-Louis said. It was sad to lose him for 17 minutes. I never had this job. It’s hard to tell him he can just do that at a certain time. He had had this match in his mind for a long time. He didn’t look for it, it came to him. I don’t blame him. »
“I thought about it during this meeting,” Xhekaj added. When the Leafs acquired him (Ryan Reaves), I looked at the schedule and quickly noticed that we were playing the first game in Toronto. »