Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj suffered an upper-body injury during Thursday’s game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, forcing him to exit the game prematurely. The incident occurred when Golden Knights’ Ivan Barbashev hit Xhekaj and the latter appeared to have hurt his left shoulder. Fortunately for Xhekaj, it’s not a recurrence of the surgically repaired right shoulder injury that prematurely ended his 2022-23 campaign.
The 22-year-old’s resilience has been tested, having already faced a significant setback with his previous shoulder injury. The game stands at 4-4 in the third period between the Golden Knights and the Canadiens, as of writing.
The defenseman is now considered day-to-day until further updates are available. Canadiens fans and the coaching staff will anxiously await news on the extent of Xhekaj’s injury and his potential return to the lineup.
The Vegas Golden Knights emerged victorious in a 6-5 win against the Montreal Canadiens. The game reached a climax in the late third period when Jack Eichel and Mark Stone netted power-play goals only 44 seconds apart.
Jack Eichel, demonstrating his offensive prowess, notched a wrist shot past Canadiens’ goaltender Cayden Primeau at 18:04, while Stone capitalized on a wraparound at 18:48, taking advantage of a double minor penalty against Brendan Gallagher for high-sticking Pavel Dorofeyev.
Shea Theodore was a key contributor for Vegas, registering a goal and three assists, while Stone added a goal and two assists. Adin Hill made 23 saves in goal for the Golden Knights.
This victory was crucial for Vegas, breaking a recent 1-3-0 slump after an impressive undefeated streak in the initial 12 games. Montreal’s Jesse Ylonen showcased his scoring ability with two goals, supported by Alex Newhook, who contributed a goal and an assist. Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson each provided two assists.
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