Martin St-Louis' controversial decision involving two Canadiens players has fans talking

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David St-Jean
May 23, 2026  (11:57)

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Photo credit: Screenshot NHL

Martin St-Louis is rolling the same 18 skaters tonight at PNC Arena, which means Arber Xhekaj and Joe Veleno watch Game 2 against the Hurricanes from the press box.

It's a Saturday night decision built on what worked 48 hours earlier. The Canadiens hammered Carolina 6-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Jayden Struble keeps his spot on the third pair. Oliver Kapanen keeps his bottom-six job. Same group, same plan.

Brendan Gallagher sits too. The 34-year-old has dressed for just 3 playoff games this spring and isn't part of the lineup conversation right now.

Struble finished Game 1 a plus-2. He logged near 15 minutes and never looked rattled by the noise inside Carolina's building.

That's why he stays in. The mobility, the gap control, the puck movement out of the zone, all of it travels well against a Hurricanes team built on relentless forechecking.

The signal came earlier in the playoffs. Xhekaj played just 1:52 in Game 7 against the Sabres, and that benching told you exactly where his coach's head was at.

He still posted 2 points in 13 playoff games and ran a plus-5 over that stretch. The numbers aren't the problem. The matchup is.

Carolina doesn't run heavy lines that demand a hammer on the back end. They run a track meet. St-Louis wants skating, not policing.

Veleno's regular season tells a similar story. He went minus-12 in 61 games and never locked down a steady role in the bottom six.

The Habs are sitting on home-ice advantage after Game 1, and they swept the regular season series 3-0 against the Hurricanes before stealing the opener Thursday.

That's four straight wins over Carolina this year. Rod Brind'Amour's group has not solved this matchup yet, and tonight is the moment to prove they can.

Kapanen scored 22 goals during the regular season and brings legitimate two-way value as a bottom-six center. His Game 1 wasn't loud on the scoresheet, but the deployment told you he belongs.

Now the pressure flips. Carolina cannot afford an 0-2 hole heading north to the Bell Centre.

If the Canadiens win tonight, this series is functionally over. If they lose, every decision St-Louis just made gets dragged into the next 48 hours of talk radio.

Xhekaj waits. Veleno waits. The room stays quiet, the coach holds his line, and the puck drops at 8 p.m. with Montreal two wins from the Cup Final.

Previously

The Canucks just hung Elias Pettersson out to dry

A huge power forward is reportedly heading to Edmonton in blockbuster move

NHL makes last-minute Canadiens vs. Hurricanes Game 2 time change

POLL

1 HOUR AGO   |   36 ANSWERS Martin St-Louis' controversial decision involving two Canadiens players has fans talking Is St-Louis right to sit Arber Xhekaj for a second straight game against Carolina?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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