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Arber Xhekaj shocks the NHL with the most unexpected goal of the season

ByBrandon Croce
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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj (72) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj (72) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arber Xhekaj hadn't scored a goal in almost a year, but on Thursday night against the Utah Mammoth, he ended that drought in the most unexpected way. According to NHL EDGE, Xhekaj's shot was 97.22 mph, which is the fastest shot this season that resulted in a goal.

It was a great play by the Montreal Canadiens as they were able to move the puck around in the offensive zone. Kirby Dach got the puck and floated down towards the corner before passing it back to Xhekaj, who was waiting for the slap shot, and the puck was past Sebastian Cossa before he even had a chance to react.

Before the game on Thursday night, Xhekaj had only nine shots on the season and hadn't scored a goal since December 13th last season against the New York Rangers. While he is not known for his goal-scoring, he now has a point in three straight games.

Arber Xhekaj wasted no time getting back to what he does best

While Arber Xhekaj is not known for his goal-scoring, he is known for his physicality, and he put that on display less than five seconds after his goal. On the faceoff after Xhekaj's goal, he immediately dropped the gloves.

It certainly was interesting to see Xhekaj drop the gloves for the second straight game after there were questions about whether he should have done that against the Winnipeg Jets. The two fights by the Xhekaj brothers were right before the Jets put together the historic comeback in the third period.

Xhekaj was a restricted free agent this past offseason and was one of the last to re-sign with the Montreal Canadiens. One of the reasons was that he didn't have a clear path to being a regular part of their blueline.

However, due to injuries and then the eventual trade of Jayden Struble, he has now played in 15 of the Canadiens' 16 games. He has certainly taken advantage of the extra ice time and has a career-best xGF% of 53.75 and CF% of 55.67, according to Natural Stat Trick.

On Thursday against the Utah Mammoth, Arber Xhekaj made an impact in more ways than one and helped the Canadiens get the win.

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