Arber Xhekaj showed discomfort in Game 3 as Canadiens monitor status ahead of Game 4

During Game 3 Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the defenseman was seen spending significant time skating and stretching during TV timeouts.

He was clearly trying to shake off discomfort and/or possibly an injury, and similar scenes were later observed in Brossard.

Maxime Truman was the first to note it live during the game:

However, his ice time of 10 minutes and 40 seconds was the lowest among Montreal Canadiens defensemen who played in the game.

Discomfort or injury to monitor for defenseman Arber Xhekaj

Losing Xhekaj as well would further reduce head coach Martin St-Louis’ options on the blue line, but it doesn’t seem likely to happen.

Xhekaj could be playing through discomfort and not at full capacity, which is why this is being monitored closely.

Number 72 brings a physical dimension that no one else in the lineup can replicate, and if he’s dealing with an injury, it could clearly impact those physical battles.

No official update has been shared by the organization so far.

This is a situation to watch very closely ahead of Game 4 tonight at the Bell Centre.