Montreal Canadiens fans will witness a special family moment tonight as Florian Xhekaj makes his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. The 22-year-old forward received the call-up from the AHL's Laval Rocket on Friday night and will join his older brother Arber in the lineup for the first time at hockey's highest level.
Family Celebration at Bell Centre
The Xhekaj family will have prime seating for this historic occasion, with both parents and two sisters making the trip from their Hamilton home to witness the brothers play together professionally. Florian's promotion comes after posting 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points in 16 games with the Rocket, along with 44 penalty minutes demonstrating his physical style of play.
Xhekaj described the moment he received the life-changing news while preparing for what he thought would be another AHL game. "I had a few calls, but I was tired, I was trying to sleep," he told reporters after Saturday's morning skate. "So I was just ignoring them. And then I looked and it was my coach and he said: 'You're going up and you're going to play your first game against the Leafs at the Bell Centre.' So it was a pretty cool moment."
Lineup Changes and Injury Update
The Canadiens will see several key changes to their lineup for this Atlantic Division matchup. Florian Xhekaj will slot in at left wing on the third line alongside Jake Evans and Josh Anderson. This placement comes at the expense of Joshua Roy, who will be a healthy scratch after being held without points in his last two games following his own call-up from Laval.
In goal, Jakub Dobes gets the start despite recent struggles. The netminder carries a 6-2-2 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and .892 save percentage into tonight's contest. However, he has lost his last four appearances (0-2-2) while posting a concerning .820 save percentage during that stretch.
Most notably, Jake Evans has been cleared to play after suffering a scary hit from Washington's Tom Wilson during Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Capitals. Evans missed the third period of that game and sat out Friday's practice, but medical staff determined he didn't sustain a concussion.
Evans Relieved After Injury Scare
"I'm just happy, feeling good," Evans expressed following the morning skate. "It was precautionary — any time it's with your head you just want to make sure it's nothing more severe and don't want to put anything at risk. I feel great. The doctors and the medical staff here have helped me out a lot."
The forward admitted to initial concern after the violent collision. "At first, you think the worst and the result of the hit, and I thought it might end up being worse," Evans said, referencing his helmet-throwing exit from the ice. "I'm happy it didn't. It also doesn't help when they score a goal at that point, too. So I think it was just a buildup of a lot of things."
When asked about Wilson's controversial hit, Evans didn't mince words: "Pretty high. My mouth was bleeding afterwards, so I think that's pretty self explanatory."
The Canadiens enter tonight's contest sitting in a tightly packed Atlantic Division, where just three points separate first place from last position. The historic rivalry game against Toronto provides an opportunity for Montreal to gain crucial ground in the standings while celebrating a milestone moment for the Xhekaj family.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Bell Centre, with television coverage on CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports.
