Arber Xhekaj's Presence Forced Major Change in Capitals' Playing Style, Stats Reveal
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Washington Capitals made a major change to their style of play because of a certain Arber Xhekaj.
Some claimed that inserting the Sheriff into the lineup didn't change anything or calm the aggressiveness of the Caps players - but that's not true.
As Marco Normandin points out, the insertion of Arber Xhekaj into the Canadiens' lineup changed the Capitals' game.
Xhekaj, who was put into the mix for Game 3 in place of Jayden Struble - and who's likely to stay in the lineup for tonight - clearly had an impact.
The numbers speak for themselves.
"As reported by TVA Sports, the Capitals players delivered significantly fewer hits, with their total of 79 in Games 1 and 2 combined dropping to 52 in Games 3 and 4 combined, with Xhekaj in the lineup. That's an average drop of 12 hits per game."
- Marco Normandin
- Marco Normandin
No, that's definitely not nothing!
The Capitals have changed their style of play and are delivering far fewer hits since Arber Xhekaj joined the lineup
The contrast is quite striking.
Xhekaj's presence seems to have specifically cooled down the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Brandon Duhaime, Lars Eller, Nic Dowd, and Pierre-Luc Dubois - players who often find themselves on the ice at the same time as Xhekaj.
Take a look at the difference.
This certainly strengthens the argument of those convinced that Xhekaj's presence in the lineup has a positive impact for the Canadiens, and a pretty negative one on the Capitals' aggression.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 30 | 2724 ANSWERS Arber Xhekaj's Presence Forced Major Change in Capitals' Playing Style, Stats Reveal Which one is the most useful to the Montreal Canadiens, in your opinion? | ||
| Jayden Struble | 374 | 13.7 % |
| Arber Xhekaj | 2350 | 86.3 % |
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