Montreal Canadiens: Arber Xhekaj Avoids Serious Shoulder Injury

The Montreal Canadiens did not look their best on Thursday night when they faced the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Habs did somehow pile up five goals in the game, but it was not enough as their lacklustre defensive effort resulted in six goals against. The chances given up came quickly and often throughout the night as third string goaltender Cayden Primeau was left to defend the net on his own, especially in the first half of the game.

The only thing scarier than watching the Canadiens defensive zone coverage in that game was watching Arber Xhekaj go down with what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury.

The big, physical defender does not get pushed around often, but at the end of a really long shift (with the Habs stuck in their own end yet again) he was nailed by Ivan Barbashev and fell to the ice. He grimaced a bit at the time but got right back up and made his way to the bench. When he got there he was holding his left shoulder and appeared to be in pain.

After missing significant time last season due to shoulder surgery, though it was the other one, it was feared he would be out long term yet again.

Luckily, the team announced that Xkekaj will not miss significant time for this injury. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported that Xhekaj is day to day and also that Jordan Harris is ready to return to the lineup and will replace him tonight.

After the past two seasons, when it seemed like every player that left the ice never returned, it was good to hear an update that is quite positive. Xhekaj plays a role no one else on the team can fill and his absence will be noticed against a team like the gritty, physical Bruins tonight.

Hopefully that is the only game he misses and he can rejoin the team as they embark on a western road trip next week.

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