Arber Xhekaj Fires Back at Rangers' Trouba Following Major Hit on Justin Barron

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Gabriel Sami
October 23, 2024 (7:05 PM)

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Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens warns Jacob Trouba of the New York Rangers, saying that Trouba needs to be prepared for their upcoming game.

The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers' matchup on Tuesday night was incredibly one-sided, but that wasn't the main topic of conversation at the conclusion of the game. Instead, it was Montreal's Justin Barron who had to be helped off the ice after captain Jacob Trouba struck him with a questionable hit. Trouba leveled the Habs' blue liner, and despite the Ranger's reputation, he received no disciplinary action for the check.

In his career, Trouba has received two-game suspensions twice: once in February 2017 for hitting the head of then-Ottawa Senators winger Mark Stone while playing for the Winnipeg Jets, and again in January of this year for elbowing Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev.

Xhekaj was a healthy scratch for the game last night, and he would have undoubtedly stood up for one of his teammates in that circumstance if he had been on the ice.

Both enforcer Arber Xhekaj and head coach Martin St. Louis have already commented on the hit. Arber was not in the starting lineup for this game, but he vows to keep it in mind for the next time these teams play.

"Seeing a hit like that, I didn't like it, and I know I probably would have done something if I was in the lineup or dealt with it, for sure, but we'll remember it, and we'll see what happens in the next game."

After the vicious hit, it's safe to assume that Xhekaj won't be holding back in the next meeting between these two teams, which is scheduled for November 30 at Madison Square Garden. He might target Trouba, but Matt Rempe, the Rangers' own enforcer, might try to level the playing field against Xhekaj, so that one will be interesting to watch.

While some, like TSN's Darren Dreger, thought the hit was a clean hit from Trouba, it's not surprising that Xhekaj wants his revenge after seeing his teammate lying on the ice, so watch for that one in what should be a game of complete chaos and carnage.

POLL
OCTOBRE 23 \| 97 ANSWERS Arber Xhekaj Fires Back at Rangers' Trouba Following Major Hit on Justin Barron Do you think Arber Xhekaj and Jacob Trouba will drop gloves the next time these teams meet?
Yes	59	60.8 %
No	25	25.8 %
Arber vs Rempe	13	13.4 %
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