Montreal Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj kicked out of game for dirty headshot on Tim Stutzle
Montreal Canadiens defenseman continues to build his infamous persona around the NHL tonight after a huge hit to the head of Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle.
The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators despite playing a preseason game tonight have a full blown rivalry going already. Early in tonight's game Senators forward Ridly Greig put a huge hit on Canadiens forward Kirby Dach forcing him to temporarily leave the game.
A short time later Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj had revenge on his mind. Looking to avenge his teammate Arber Xhekaj destroyed Tim Stutzle with a massive hit which can be seen below.
Arber Xhekaj's hit to the head of Tim Stutzle
Immediately after the hit Ottawa Senators forward and captain Brady Tkachuk came to the defense of Tim Stutzle. Penalties were handed out all around including Arber Xhekaj being kicked out of the game.
This is the second time in the preseason that Arber Xhekaj has found himself in trouble defending a teammate. Earlier in the preseason Arber Xhekaj fought Cedric Pare in defense of Patrik Laine who suffered a major knee injury.
Arber Xhekaj and Cedric Pare fight
After that incident, Arber Xhekaj was handed a major fine. One has to wonder how severe of a punishment Arber Xhekaj might get especially with two incidents already before the season has even begun. In the past Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has been supportive of Arber Xhekaj's aggressive play. One has to wonder if these repeated incidents will change that perspective.
As more details on this situation come out including Tim Stutzle's health and Arber Xhekaj's potential discipline we will pass all of the latest news along to you.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 1 | 144 ANSWERS Montreal Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj kicked out of game for dirty headshot on Tim Stutzle Should Arber Xhekaj be suspended by Gary Bettman and the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 88 | 61.1 % |
| No | 56 | 38.9 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kirill Marchenko | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||