Heading into the first round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, if the Montreal Canadiens were to have any glaring weakness, it would have been their depth on the defence. The Canadiens were coming into the series without arguably their most important defenceman, Noah Dobson, meaning there was going to be a lot more pressure on Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble to be at their best if Montreal wanted any chance of winning. Not only have the Xhekaj and Struble played well, but they have been the team’s best partnership since the playoffs started.
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis was asked what he has liked from the Xhekaj/Struble pairing so far in these playoffs, and he responded, “Pretty much everything.” They have been physical, responsible defensively, and while they are not playing big minutes, their underlying numbers have been fantastic. According to MoneyPuck, the Xhekaj/Struble pairing has a 0.69 expected goals against per 60 minutes, which is second among defensive pairings so far these playoffs. The duo also ranks first in expected goals percentage at 81.8% and expected goals against at 0.2. While the sample size is small, both players have stepped up, something of a surprise considering how they struggled at times during the regular season.
Just to compare their regular-season numbers to how well they have improved their games in the playoffs, the Xhekaj/Struble pairing ranked 177th in expected goals against per 60 minutes with 2.39. They ranked 376th in expected goals percentage (41.1%) and 102nd in expected goals against (4.3). It has been a drastic improvement for two players who, for large portions of the season, were battling it out between one another to see who would stay in the lineup. If Xhekaj and Struble continue to play as they have for the Canadiens first two games against the Lightning, the decision about who comes out of the lineup when Dobson is clear to play becomes a much more difficult one.
It is safe to assume that if/when Dobson makes his series debut, he will be paired up with Lane Hutson. The difficult question is not about who he plays with, but who comes out of the lineup to make room for Dobson. Normally, it would be one of Xhekaj or Struble who would exit the lineup, but considering how well they have played together in these playoffs, it might be one of Kaiden Guhle or Alexandre Carrier who makes way for the Canadiens star defenceman. If it goes off current form, Guhle might be the one who makes way, who struggled in game one, but a lot could change before Dobson is cleared to return.
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