Suzuki Sends Strong Message to Martin St-Louis About Arber Xhekaj During Press Conference
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
We experienced an incredible night yesterday, following a superb victory by the Montreal Canadiens over the Washington Capitals.
It was the first game of these 2025 playoffs for a certain
Arber Xhekaj, and it was also the first win for Martin St-Louis' squad.
The series now stands at 2-1, still in favor of Alex Ovechkin's team.
Anyway, after the game, we got an interesting statement from captain
Nick Suzuki, specifically about the Sheriff, and
Cole Caufield's face said it all.
Nick Suzuki Praises Arber Xhekaj
The captain was indeed very complimentary toward his tough teammate, and let's just say Martin St-Louis doesn't have much of a choice.. He'll have to put Arber Xhekaj back in the lineup tomorrow night!
Xhekaj must be in the lineup tomorrow night!
Habs captain Nick Suzuki on Arber Xhekaj tonight:
"I thought he was great all night. Just told him to go out there and do your thing.
He's a presence out there. He did his job tonight. He played a really valuable role in the win.."
- Via HabsOnReddit
The message is very clear, and it's worth noting that Cole Caufield (who was sitting right next to Suzuki during the press conference) was nodding in full agreement with every word from the captain.
The guys clearly want to see Xhekaj back in the lineup tomorrow night.
As for Xhekaj himself, he had this to say after the game:
Arber Xhekaj on his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff experience:
"That was unbelievable. My heart was beating out of my chest before the game even started.
We're on the bench after O Canada, my heart was pounding and I was like, I've got to calm down here. So, I've never experienced anything like that, and it was over the expectations I even had. Just this city is really special."
- Arber Xhekaj, via Eric Engels
We absolutely expect to see Xhekaj back in the Montreal Canadiens' lineup tomorrow night, especially after these comments, and especially knowing that Martin St-Louis doesn't like changing a winning lineup.
Previously on HabsFanatics
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AVRIL 27 | 2990 ANSWERS Suzuki Sends Strong Message to Martin St-Louis About Arber Xhekaj During Press Conference Do you believe Arber Xhekaj should be in the lineup for Game 4? |
Yes | 2875 | 96.2 % |
No | 115 | 3.8 % |
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