What Martin St-Louis Did After Arber Xhekaj's Costly Penalty Got Everyone Talking

Jakub Dobes was rock-solid (once again) in net, the young forwards took charge in the third period, and the Habs came back from a 2-0 deficit to grab two valuable points.

I was so impressed by that comeback - especially on the road, in their third straight away game. And how about Demidov with his 3-point game and stunning game winning goal! He also had a funny post-game laugh live on air that went viral!

A great team win overall, but I have to admit, it wasn't perfect.

Because while most were celebrating, one player had a very different kind of night: Arber Xhekaj.

The 24-year-old defenseman had a very rough game.

In the first period, he took a penalty for holding, and in the second, another one for interference after literally blocking a Canucks player behind the Canadiens' net.

I like to try to take the players' side when it comes to Habs guys, but this time, he fully deserved those penalties.

Martin St-Louis didn't hide his frustration.

On the TV broadcast, you could clearly see the coach roll his eyes, visibly annoyed to see his defenseman piling up costly mistakes.

Following that, Xhekaj was glued to the bench for the entire third period, finishing the game with just 6 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time. That's really low for a defenseman...

The message is clear.

Personally, I think St-Louis is trying to shake up his young defenseman before he completely loses confidence.

With Kaiden Guhle's injury keeping him out for at least two more weeks, the Habs could give Mark Del Gaizo a chance - he's already been with the team for a few days - or even consider Adam Engstrom if the situation continues.