One goal, one +1 record, four shots, four hits, including a hard-hitting second-period hit on Zemgus Girgensons, one blocked shot and 18 minutes, 52 seconds of playing time: Arber Bell Center, Wednesday night.
• Also read: Joshua Roy made lemonade
In his eighth game since being recalled from Laval, the great Canadian defender played alongside David Savard.
“You would put anyone with this guy and it would be OK,” Xhekaj admitted after his team's 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He is an intelligent player and spoke to me throughout the game. He’s like a coach, he has so much experience.”
“The game came to me and the contacts came at the right time. It's good for my confidence. […] I used the space around me well, I didn't force anything,” added the man who looked like a top-four defender.
“I didn't really use him as a second pair, but he played like a second pair,” admitted Martin St-Louis.
The CH head coach also appreciated his robust style.
“He probably played his most complete game and respected his abilities. He is a physical player and we saw that tonight. He has an offensive instinct and we saw that too. He reads the game better.
Thanks to Roy
Taking advantage of good work from Joshua Roy, who handed him the puck with one hand while falling with a rival on his back, Xhekaj scored the first goal in the opening period.
“Winning battles provokes [des jeux] And the players are good enough to be well placed, noted the 20-year-old Quebecer. Winning battles is important, so incorporating that into my game will be helpful.”
Despite his first two-point game in the NHL, Roy only played 11:21.
“You play 10 minutes, force the coach to give you 12, you play 12, force him to give you 14,” St-Louis imagined. There are nights when you look at the score sheet and think he deserves more. But life isn't always fun. You have to keep going.”
Three penalties
For his part, Juraj Slafkovsky's streak of games with at least one point ended at eight. What we particularly remember about the 19-year-old's evening was his three penalty kicks, including one that gave Jeff Skinner the final score of 2-2. The last one converted the Habs' chances of equalizing. At the end of the game.
“It’s learning for “Slaf.” He is not a player who takes a lot of penalties. There is a fine line when players play combatively. “They weren’t lazy penalties or because he was in the wrong place,” said St-Louis, putting things into perspective.
“He seemed frustrated after his first two penalties. I don't know if he wanted to do too much. I've been in a situation like this before. We have to calm down and deal with our emotions,” analyzed Nick Suzuki.
Always present
The captain's streak of ten games with at least one point also came to an end, which doesn't seem to worry his coach.
“He played a better game tonight than a game where he picked up two points. He was all over the ice,” St-Louis said.
And he's not wrong. Suzuki shined both offensively and defensively.