Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
There’s bad news for fans of rugged defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
Same lineup, same plan, same message at the Bell Centre tonight. Martin St-Louis confirmed that the lineup will not change against the Buffalo Sabres.
The only exception is in goal, with Sam Montembeault getting the start.
Arber Xhekaj headed to the press box again for Thursday night
The detail that stands out once again is Arber Xhekaj.
He remains in the stands, while Jayden Struble keeps his spot, even though Xhekaj had been playing very good hockey recently.
This season, Montembeault holds a 9-6-2 record, with a 3.44 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.
It’s not perfect, but the trend has been better over the past few games, and Martin St-Louis clearly wants stability for another night.
Up front, the other situation drawing attention is Alexandre Texier. He is not ready to return to action, so the line juggling continues.
Texier still has 7 goals, 9 assists, and 16 points with the Canadiens, which explains why his absence is being felt in the rotation.
Meanwhile, Kirby Dach remains on the first line. Alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, it sends a simple message to the locker room.
You don’t change a recipe when you want to keep the momentum going, even if it means leaving certain names on the sidelines.
In short, Martin St-Louis is choosing continuity, and Xhekaj is the one paying the price again.
As for Patrik Laine, he will not play tonight after all, and that situation is far from settled.
There’s no shortage of action in Montreal.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Samuel Montembeault to start vs Sabres as Arber Xhekaj is scratched for a second straight game
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