Eric Engels reports this morning that Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj has answered the critics of his fight with Tyrell Bauer.
Montreal was up 4-0 with about three minutes left Tuesday when Xhekaj dropped the gloves with the Jets defenseman. Winnipeg then scored four goals in two minutes, and plenty of people decided the fight handed the Jets their momentum.
Xhekaj heard all of it. He answered on his Instagram story, and according to Engels, he did not hold back.
He called the narrative that his fight led to the comeback ridiculous. Engels says Xhekaj argued that Winnipeg dominated the whole game and that Bauer had chased him around on every shift.
That second point matters. Bauer told TVA Sports he had a message ready for the Xhekaj brothers before the game, so a fight was always on the table.
Engels added that it's hard to disagree with Xhekaj on this one.
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Neither player is a stranger to the box. Xhekaj has 30 penalty minutes in 15 games this season, and Bauer has 28 in 11 games.
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | |
| 2026-27 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Career | 245 | 11 | 25 | 36 | -25 |
The momentum debate Xhekaj won't accept
A fight doesn't score four goals in two minutes. The Jets did that, and the team protecting a four-goal lead has to own at least part of it.
Winnipeg needed the lift, too. The Jets sit 26th in the NHL at 6-8-3 and are 2-7-1 over their last 10, though they've won two straight.
Xhekaj hasn't let the noise follow him onto the ice. He scored in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over Utah, a game in which he also picked up 5 penalty minutes. If you want to see how the Bauer and Xhekaj fight on Tuesday started, our earlier report has it.
The Canadiens are 10-3-3 and sit second in the Atlantic Division. They visit Toronto on Saturday, and the next shift Xhekaj takes will be watched closely.
Was Arber Xhekaj right to drop the gloves with Tyrell Bauer in a 4-0 game?
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