Canadiens Defenceman Arber Xhekaj Returns To Lineup

According to Jean-Charles Lajoie, Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis is set to make a change ahead of Game 3, with defenceman Arber Xhekaj returning to the lineup.

The news will be sure to please the high number of Habs fans that wanted to see the team improve their physical prowess against a hard-hitting Washington Capitals team.

The Sheriff Arber Xhekaj is in the building 😎 pic.twitter.com/MxliOi1BMk

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 25, 2025

Even though the Canadiens threw more hits during the regular season, it was the Capitals who started the series by putting an onus on finishing all their checks, not to mention pushing the rules the limit with a few blatant cross-checks that have gone uncalled.

Xhekaj, 24, will be participating in his first career playoff game, and his first match-up since April 6, when he was given fewer than 10 minutes of ice time versus the Nashville Predators.

The hard-hitting defenceman seems to have fallen out of favour when it comes to the starting lineup, despite evidence that suggests he forms a very strong third pairing when playing alongside Jayden Struble.

Arber Xhekaj was busy in warmups. pic.twitter.com/YXtgp3NlpZ

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 25, 2025

MUST READ: Montreal Canadiens Roster Talk – The Arber Xhekaj Situation

As per Lajoie, Struble will not be available to play on the third pairing with Xhekaj, as he is expected to watch Game 3 from the press box as a healthy scratch. Some would have wanted to see David Savard bow out of the lineup, but it’s clear St-Louis is not going to remove one of his few veterans from the lineup, regardless of the underlying numbers.

It’s also fair to say Struble has struggled at times, however, that’s a common theme for most Canadiens defencemen this season.

Tel qu’annoncé ici en primeur ce matin, le Shériff sera de l’alignement ce soir pour le #CH face aux Caps ! Jayden Struble sera laissé de côté.
Merci à ceux et celles dont plusieurs estimés collègues qui m’ont donné le crédit de cette exclusivité bien vérifiée. #WinnebaGoHabsGo

— Jean-Charles Lajoie (@JiCLajoie) April 25, 2025