The Montreal Canadiens turned in their worst defensive effort in quite some time Tuesday, allowing six goals in a hard-fought 6-4 defeat to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
The highly anticipated rematch of the Eastern Conference Final did not go the Habs' way, and one clear weak spot in the lineup was the third defense pairing of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj.
Despite playing only a little over nine minutes, the duo proved costly. Carolina scored twice with the pair on the ice, including the game's opening goal just over two minutes in and the game-tying goal about seven minutes later.
Taylor Hall gets a stick on it to put the Canes on the board!#habs pic.twitter.com/3VPsrydgp5
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 6, 2026
Two goals against in the first period were a rough start for a pairing that had been quite solid entering the night, having been on the ice for two goals for and none against through the first two games of the season.
Regression appears to have hit on Tuesday, and it further cements what was a mediocre pairing last season, playing 108 minutes together over 32 games and finishing even, with four goals for and four against while on the ice.
Montreal Canadiens are desperately missing Kaiden Guhle
The performance may also highlight how much Montreal is feeling the absence of Kaiden Guhle, and it raises a question about who should come out of the lineup when he returns. The answer appears to be Xhekaj as regardless of his partner, he simply hasn't produced better defensive numbers than Struble.
Last season, Xhekaj and Guhle played about 58 minutes together over 19 games and were even, at two goals for and two against. When Struble drew in alongside Guhle, the sample was smaller, at 17 minutes over 16 games, but the pairing was on the ice for one goal for and none against.
The sample sizes are small, but Xhekaj was also Montreal's worst defenseman by rating last season at minus-8, with no other Habs blueliner close to him in that department. Although he is a beloved fan favourite for his physicality, it may be time for Montreal to prioritize true strength on the back end and roll with Struble rather than Xhekaj once Guhle returns from injury.
Montreal could also experiment with the sixth defense spot, moving Xhekaj out for a defender like Adam Engstrom. He and Struble played limited minutes together last season but posted a plus-one net rating when on the ice together.
Add us as a preferred source on Google