Arber Xhekaj suspension talk now hangs over Montreal after the Canadiens defenseman caught Sam Carrick with a right hand late in Game 3 in Montreal. Carrick went down on the play, and both teams are now facing hearing risk as the series shifts to Game 4.
Xhekaj and Carrick in Montreal
Xhekaj’s punch came during the late-game brawls, when Carrick’s hands appeared tied up and Xhekaj’s hands did not appear tied up. That detail is the one likely to shape whatever discipline follows, because Player Safety may weigh the held-arms angle on Zachary Bolduc more heavily when it reviews the sequence.
The Canadiens defenseman played 65 games in the regular season and carried a $1.3 million cap hit. He finished the regular season minus-8 and has moved to plus-4 across 8 postseason games, so any suspension discussion would land on a player already in the middle of Montreal’s playoff rotation.
Bolduc and Norris in the series
The other clip under scrutiny involves Josh Norris punching Zachary Bolduc while a Buffalo teammate held Bolduc in place. That play is being compared with the Ridly Greig incident from Round 1 against Carolina, the same kind of sequence that drew a suspension earlier in the playoffs.
Bolduc has 1 goal and 4 assists across 9 playoff games and sits plus-5, while Norris carries a 7.95 million cap hit and has been a Lindy Ruff staple in this series. The contrast is part of why the discipline picture now reaches both benches, not just Montreal’s.
Bell Centre on Tuesday
Game 4 goes Tuesday at Bell Centre, with Montreal leading the series 2-1 going in. If Player Safety acts, the effect would hit a Canadiens lineup that is already managing postseason attrition, and the next move for both sides could come before the puck drops again in Montreal.
