Montreal Canadiens enforcer Arber Xhekaj and Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry were the main event of a spirited bout on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre.
During the first period of the Canadiens-Jets tilt, Xhekaj and Lowry dropped the gloves as part of a retaliatory bout. The scrap broke out as Lowry pounded Canadiens’ defenseman Alexandre Carrier.
Carrier was fine, but Xhekaj wasn’t having any of it. He immediately went after Lowry. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the pugilists went at it.
Here’s a look at the explosive action:
The two big bodies were pretty even until the Canadiens blueliner got the edge. He dropped Lowry to the ice, at which point the officials stepped in to break up the brouhaha. The crowd cheered the Habs‘ strongman as both players were escorted to the penalty box.
However, the fight seemed to spark the Jets as moments later, Mark Scheifele beat the Canadiens’ goalie Jakub Dobes for the game’s opening goal.
The tilt, nonetheless, lit the fuse as the game’s action picked up. The period ended with end-to-end action, showcasing both clubs’ offensive prowess.
Lowry Tried to Light a Fire for Jets in Montreal
Adam Lowry used the fight to light a fire for his team. The Jets were coming off an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres last Monday. So, Lowry seemed keen on giving his team an extra boost against the Canadiens.
It seemed to work in the first period, as the Jets grabbed the lead. Still, it’s been slow going for Winnipeg this season. Last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners have struggled to regain the form that made them the toast of the NHL in 2024-25.
This season, things have taken a turn for the worse. The Jets lost all-world netminder Connor Helleybuck to injury. While Eric Comrie has proven to be a capable fill-in, the Jets will certainly miss their starting goalie.
Comrie’s performance against the Canadiens on Wednesday night was fantastic. He kept his team in the game while the offense tried to get past an equally impressive Jakub Dobes.
Canadiens Pull Out Victory in Shootout
On the ice, the Canadiens pulled out an exciting victory. The Habs and Jets ended regulation tied at two. Montreal got goals from Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen in the second period. The third solved nothing, with overtime failing to settle the score.
So, they went to the shootout. Cole Caufield got the lone goal for the Canadiens in the shootout, beating Eric Comrie. That was the only goal as Comrie stopped the other Montreal shooters. Meanwhile, Jakub Dobes stopped all three Winnipeg shooters he faced for the victory.
The Canadiens improved to 13-9-4 and will get a much-needed break before heading into a back-to-back set this weekend. The Habs will play in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Then, they will return to the Bell Centre to face the St. Louis Blues.
The Habs will close out a tough three-games-in-four-nights set on Tuesday at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Canadiens Enforcer Drops Gloves in Spirited Retaliation Bout