Arber Xhekaj shuts down Max Domi and intimidates him into silence in Maple Leafs-Canadiens opener

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Tom Banks
October 10, 2024 (7:04 PM)

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The Montreal Canadiens came out on top in their home opener against the Maple Leafs, and now we know exactly why Max Domi didn't drop the gloves.

After a heated pre-season between Toronto and Montreal, it's no shocker that during the Canadiens home opener, things got a little spicy between the long-time Canadian rivals.

During the game, Max Domi was intent on going after the Canadiens, in particular David Savard, who reportedly refused to drop the gloves with the Maple Leafs veteran forward, inciting a bigger response from Domi.

Not long after this, it was Savard who got the last laugh with a big hit on Domi, much to the delight of the crowd at the Bell Centre, but this move only enraged the veteran forward further.

Now, Canadiens reporter Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports has opened up on what happened unseen on the broadcast that officially shut Domi up, and unsurprisingly, it involved young Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj.

Domi invited Savard to drop the gloves and settle it, and Xhekaj stepped in and said: no, I'll take him!

After the intervention of number 72, Domi didn't say another word, and everything calmed down. Lavoie even added that no Maple Leafs player dared to address the Canadiens' bench for the rest of the game.

For some reason, Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves didn't get involved, failing to do the only job that he's paid for at this stage of his career, and because of that, it appears he may be scratched from their second game of the season. If Reaves won't fight Xhekaj, it's hard to see who on this team would step up for Domi, but the next time these two teams play, expect to see this continued in some fashion.