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Watch: Arber Xhekaj pounds Leafs' Cedric Pare with barrage of right-handers
Montreal Canadiens’ blueliner Arber Xhekaj unloaded on Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Cedric Pare early in the first period of the Leafs-Habs Saturday night tilt. Xhekaj unleashed a fury of right-handers in retaliation for Pare’s knee-on-knee hit on his Habs teammate Patrik Laine.
Pare had hit Laine moments earlier as Laine entered the Leafs’ zone with the puck during a Montreal power play. The collision left Laine on the ice, unable to get up. Laine eventually left the game and didn't return.
Meanwhile, Arber Xhekaj took exception to the hit, waiting for Pare’s next shift before wailing on right-handers on the Leafs forward. Arber Xhekaj was assessed a game misconduct for the incident. Check out the fierce action here:
During the fight, Xhekaj kept his gloves on as Pare fell to the ice. Pare covered his face as he absorbed the voluminous dose of punches from the Canadiens defenseman.
Officials eventually broke up the play, giving Arber Xhekaj a game misconduct as the instigator in the incident. As for Pare, he didn't receive a penalty on the hit to Laine or a fighting penalty for his altercation with Xhekaj.
There’s a good chance that the department of player safety will review the hit on Laine to determine if any disciplinary action will be forthcoming.
Arber Xhekaj and the Habs still uncertain about Laine’s injury
Patrik Laine was in visible pain and frustration as he left the ice following the hit from Cedric Pare. Laine was seemingly unable to put any weight on his leg, indicating a potentially serious injury.
While Laine’s departure was precautionary, there’s no word on the extent of his situation. Following the game, NHL.com quoted Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis:
“If you know you can get him back to his own standards, it’s pretty exciting,” St. Louis added.
"And I feel we’ve done a good job of bringing him in, and he’s started to feel more comfortable, so it’s hard to see him go down like that today. And, hopefully, it’s not too serious.”
Laine missed nearly the entire season last year with a broken clavicle while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Following a trade this offseason, he seemed to be back on track in Montreal, but Saturday night’s hit could become a significant setback.
The Canadiens will need to evaluate how much time, if any, Laine will miss during the preseason. Habs fans will hope that the hit was nothing serious, as St. Louis mentioned, and that he only needs some time to recover from bumps and bruises.
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