Arber Xhekaj Attacks Adam Larsson for Colliding with Habs Goalie, Juraj Slafkovsky Roughs Up Eeli Tolvanen in Ensuing Chaos
In a heated and chaotic exchange during a recent matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Kraken, tensions boiled over into a full-scale confrontation after a collision involving Canadiens’ goalie, and a questionable hit on the crease by Adam Larsson. What followed was a dramatic series of events, highlighted by Arber Xhekaj’s aggressive response to the incident and a spirited altercation involving Juraj Slafkovsky and Eeli Tolvanen.
The incident began when Seattle’s defenseman, Adam Larsson, made a seemingly innocuous attempt to clear the puck in front of the Montreal net. In doing so, Larsson collided with Canadiens’ goalie, Jake Allen, who was in a vulnerable position while trying to corral the puck. The impact sent Allen crashing awkwardly into the net, leading to a delayed whistle from the referee. The scene quickly escalated as Allen was visibly shaken up, and the Canadiens, known for their physicality, were not happy with Larsson’s actions.
Enter Arber Xhekaj, Montreal’s hard-hitting enforcer, who wasted no time in confronting Larsson about the collision. Xhekaj, a player known for his toughness and willingness to protect his teammates at all costs, immediately dropped the gloves and took matters into his own hands. The two players engaged in a brief but intense fight, with Xhekaj throwing a series of heavy punches in an effort to make Larsson pay for his actions.
“You’re not going to touch my goalie like that,” Xhekaj said after the altercation. “I saw Jake go down and I knew I had to stand up for him. That’s just what I do.”
The fight sent the Bell Centre into a frenzy, with the home crowd cheering for Xhekaj’s swift defense of Allen. The Canadiens have long prided themselves on their team toughness, and this was another example of that mentality in action. Despite the physicality of the fight, both players received fighting majors and were sent to the penalty box, but the message was clear: anyone who takes a cheap shot at a Montreal player would have to answer for it.
However, the chaos did not end there. As the dust settled from the fight between Xhekaj and Larsson, the Kraken’s Eeli Tolvanen found himself in a scuffle with the Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky. The rookie Slafkovsky, known for his own physical edge, was not about to let Tolvanen off easy after a few post-whistle jabs, and the two engaged in a battle of their own. Slafkovsky, who has shown more of a physical side this season, handled the situation with poise, roughing up Tolvanen and leaving the Kraken forward with no chance to retaliate.
“Sometimes you just have to make a statement,” said Slafkovsky after the game. “We have to stick up for each other, and that’s exactly what I did.”
While the fight was entertaining for fans, it also highlighted a growing theme in the Canadiens’ approach to the season. Despite being a team in transition, Montreal has made it clear that they are not going to back down from any confrontation. With Xhekaj’s enforcer mentality and Slafkovsky’s newfound toughness, the Canadiens are building a team identity that combines both skill and grit.
Ultimately, the Canadiens were able to regain their composure after the altercations, but the incident was a reminder of the physical nature of the NHL and the lengths players will go to defend their teammates. As the season progresses, Montreal will look to continue to build on this type of team-first mentality, one that emphasizes physicality and accountability. For now, though, the memories of Xhekaj’s fight and Slafkovsky’s roughing up of Tolvanen will linger as a defining moment in a game filled with drama.
