Arber Xhekaj had some choice words for Radko Gudas after the Panthers beat the Canadiens. (Photos via Getty)
To say things got testy in Thursday night’s game between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens would be an understatement.
By the time the horn sounded, the Panthers were able to walk away with a convincing 6-2 win, although the storyline wasn’t about the final score. Instead, everyone was talking about the overall intensity and sheer hatred between the two teams as they combined for a ridiculous 90 penalty minutes on the night, including three fights and three 10-minute fouls.
While there were several heated moments during the contest, one of the most dramatic came late in the third period. With the score already 6-2, Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas took a big hit on Habs forward Kirby Dach — in retaliation for a big hit moments earlier — that appeared to hit his knee. That infuriated several of Dach’s teammates, most notably rookie Arber Jekai, who called out the veteran after the game.
“He never does,” Jackage said when asked if Gudas was responsible for his questionable hit. “I don’t know what’s going on with this guy. He’ll be running into guys’ knees the entire game. He really plays hard, I’ll give him that. But at some point you have to show that you can do that.
Xhekaj is not wrong to suggest that Gudas has had some questionable incidents in the past. The 32-year-old has been sent off numerous times and has had a number of other knocks throughout his career that many consider dirty. That said, he adds an element of toughness to the Panthers’ backcourt and is good at getting under his opponents’ skin, similar to what he did on Thursday.
These two teams are set to meet twice more this season, so there could be plenty more fireworks to come. The first game will take place on March 16 at the Bell Center, with the second game two weeks later on March 30 at the FLA Live Arena.
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