Fans didn’t have to wait long to see Arber Xhekaj and Ryan Reaves exchange pleasantries this season, but the Toronto Maple Leafs slugger isn’t happy with how the fight went.
Both men threw away their gloves in the first period of Wednesday’s game between the Montreal Canadiens and Leafs. Xhekaj appeared to have won when he pushed his opponent against Jake Allen’s net, causing the cage to fall back.
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The CH defender made the first shots and defended his teammate Kaiden Guhle. He was thus punished as an instigator, but the fact remains that the Leafs strongman did not appreciate his rival’s initiative.
“I don’t like being attacked. I don’t know if I’ve ever attacked anyone. Do you want to fight? Ask me,” Reaves said at a press conference on Friday, his comments reported by the Sportsnet network.
The 36-year-old veteran expects a rematch against Xhekaj.
“We played them two more times,” he recalled.
Montreal and Toronto will face off at the Bell Center on March 9 and April 6, respectively. We’re betting those two dates are circled on Reaves’ calendar.