Montreal Canadiens

"Momentum": Arber Xhekaj Shares His Message on Instagram
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
"Momentum": Arber Xhekaj Shares His Message on Instagram
Credit: Getty Images

Those 5-4 games come one after another, but no two are alike, right?

On Tuesday, the Canadiens didn't control the game against the Jets at five-on-five (not at all, really), but they controlled the score for most of the game.

And we know how that ended.

But yesterday? The Canadiens controlled the five-on-five play against the Mammoth, never led on the scoreboard, and still found a way to win in overtime thanks to Cole Caufield.

It's mind-boggling just how good he is in overtime.

Yesterday, the Canadiens led 23-13 in five-on-five shots on goal and didn't allow a goal at even strength after Logan Cooley's early goal at 1:42 into the game.

The Habs had the momentum overall in the game.

Speaking of momentum, it was an important word on Tuesday… and it's a word that Arber Xhekaj made sure to bring back into the spotlight last night after the game.

Why?

Because, on Instagram, the Canadiens' No. 72 posted a photo of himself after his fight with Liam O'Brien and chose to add the word “momentum” in large letters.

We know that the older of the two Xhekaj brothers was accused of giving the Jets momentum in his team's loss on Tuesday. That's what he's referring to.

I said it a few days ago: I don't think Tuesday's loss was solely the fault of the Xhekaj brothers. I do believe, however, that Florian's lack of discipline (two roughing penalties and one for fighting in just a few minutes) really didn't help.

But let's dig a little deeper into the issue of momentum.

The players believe that a fight can shift the momentum of a game. Tyrel Bauer was hounding the Sheriff throughout Tuesday's game precisely to create that spark. Arber didn't necessarily want to fight, but was forced to do so.

Then, his brother (who was replaced in the lineup last night by none other than… Kirby Dach) came off looking bad in a fight, and the Jets scored five goals really quickly late in the game.

Is this just a coincidence? There's a connection to be made between making a move that shifts the momentum… and seeing the momentum shift right after. Right?

Yesterday, why do you think Liam O'Brien waited for the Canadiens to tie the game before getting into a fight in the seconds that followed—at the end of the first period?

He probably didn't want to do it when it was 2-0, you know. But he did it at 2-2, when it worked in the Mammoth's favor, and the Habs took over an hour to score again—on the power play.

I'm not against Arber's fights, including his two this week. But all I'm saying is, you can't claim that a fight doesn't shift the momentum when it only works in our favor.

Overtime

The Canadiens players won't be practicing in Brossard before heading to Toronto, as practice has been canceled. Travel is the only item on the agenda for the Habs players today.

Tomorrow night, the Habs will, of course, face the Maple Leafs in the world's largest library.