There will be consequences after Arber Xhekaj reveals what an opponent said to him on the ice
Arber Xhekaj and Martin St. Louis won't forget what was said in that Buffalo series.
The Canadiens defenseman shared one of the strangest chirps he has heard on the ice, and it instantly added edge to an already heated matchup.
Xhekaj revealed the moment during a social media exchange with goaltender Jakub Dobes, and the line was so odd it almost felt made up.
That quote landed because it fits the way opponents still try to get under Xhekaj's skin, even when they know exactly what kind of response they might get.
Buffalo clearly wanted to rattle him.
They took a swing at his past, his rise, and the identity he has built since fighting his way onto the Canadiens blue line.
That Sabres player will now face the consequence when they face the Canadiens next season, as that surely won't be forgotten by Xhekaj.
Xhekaj heard it, and he stored it away
That's where this story changes from funny to meaningful. Xhekaj didn't just laugh it off.
He made it clear he heard it, remembered it, and that there will be consequences.
He still chose not to name the player, which says plenty on its own.
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He kept the focus on the message, not the messenger.
That matters because Xhekaj is not a depth piece opponents can ignore.
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, he brings a presence that changes the temperature of a game fast.
Players around the league test that edge all the time. Most chirps blur together. This one didn't.
This one stuck.
And for Buffalo, there's some irony in that.
The Sabres tried to destabilize Montreal through the series, yet the Canadiens still pushed through and left them behind in seven games.
That makes the insult look smaller now.
Xhekaj got the last word without needing to force it in the moment.
The bigger takeaway is simple: opponents still think provoking him is a smart play. It isn't.
Now the Canadiens head into Game 2 at PNC Arena on Saturday night with the same mindset that got them here.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 21, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||