Struble Returns as Xhekaj Sits for Game 1 Against Hurricanes

Jayden Struble was back in the Montreal Canadiens lineup for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes, replacing Arber Xhekaj after he played only 1:52 in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres. The switch put struble in the sixth-defenceman role Montreal has been using in close playoff games.

Struble Gets Game 1 Nod

Struble logged 14:10 of ice time and finished plus-2 against Carolina. That was a sharp rise from the 5:06 he had in Game 7 against the Tampa Lightning before sitting out all seven games against Buffalo.

Montreal has been leaning on its top five defencemen and rotating the sixth spot between Xhekaj and Struble. Martin St. Louis said, “I think we’ve done it all year,” and added, “We roll five a lot — and whether it’s (Xhekaj) or Strubs, they’re giving us some really good minutes, too.”

St. Louis and Xhekaj

Xhekaj’s size and physicality still matter to the Canadiens. St. Louis said he appreciates both, but also said he does not have confidence in Xhekaj’s defensive game when the score is close.

He was direct about what the 6-foot-4, 240-pound defender has to show to stay in the mix. “It is about stacking up his actions throughout his shifts,” St. Louis said. “Whether it was a good shift or a bad shift, it is about what is next. You cannot fluctuate mentally because of either side of that — just stay the course and focus on the next action. I think when he does that, he is great. If he keeps simplicity in his game and defends hard, he is great.”

Canadiens Blue Line Rotation

The decision keeps Montreal’s playoff blue line centered on trust, not just size. Xhekaj now has to fight back for minutes, while Struble has a game in hand that showed he can handle the role when the Canadiens need a sixth defenceman.

That matters most in the tight games St. Louis keeps referencing. Montreal’s choices at the back are narrowing around who can stay steady shift after shift, and Game 1 gave Struble the opening while Xhekaj watched from the side.