Martin St-Louis Scratches Arber Xhekaj for Game 1 — Canadiens Hockey

Canadiens hockey changed at Game 1 in Raleigh. Martin St-Louis scratched Arber Xhekaj against the Carolina Hurricanes, and Jayden Struble drew back in.

The move sends Montreal into the first game of the series with a different look on the back end. Xhekaj was on the extra-skater ice in Raleigh with Jacob Fowler, Samuel Montembeault, Patrik Laine, Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno before the decision landed.

St-Louis Turns to Struble

Struble brings a different recent playoff line than Xhekaj. He went plus-3 across seven playoff games, while also posting 12 points in 59 regular-season appearances.

Xhekaj reached 13 games this postseason and finished 1-1-2 with a plus-5 rating. His regular season ran 65 games, with 1-3-4 and a minus-8 rating, plus a $1.3 million cap hit.

Montreal Against Carolina

Montreal’s own regular-season results against Carolina give the switch extra weight. The Canadiens went 3-0 and beat the Hurricanes 7-5, 5-2 and 3-1.

Carolina still enters the series with the stronger overall season line. The Hurricanes finished 53-22-7 for 113 points and a plus-56 goal differential, and the matchup points toward a team built on structure, forecheck pressure and pace rather than a collision-heavy game.

That leaves Montreal with a clear lineup choice already shaping the series. If Carolina wins Game 1, Saturday’s Game 2 becomes the next decision point for St-Louis on whether to keep Xhekaj out or bring him back.