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Possible Suspension Looming for Arber Xhekaj After Incredibly Late Hit on Senators Forward

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 12:17 PM ET

Arber Xhekaj has been known to throw his body around, and after getting away with a clear hit to the head, Ottawa Senators fans are furious.

The Montreal Canadiens picked up arguably their biggest win of the season on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators, as they now find themselves in prime position to claim one of the Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference.

All around it was a dominant finish to the game for Montreal, who ended up coming out on top 6-3, but it wasn't a game without controversy as we would all expect during a high profile, all-Canadian matchup.

On social media, Senators fans were furious as Arber Xhekaj laid out Matthew Highmore with a hit directly to the head, with the NHL officials somehow completely ignoring the hit and allowing it to go unpunished.

This is a textbook, egregious late hit as well as a hit to the head, leaving fans baffled that the officials somehow missed the call completely, while some other people on social media have criticized Ottawa teammates for not standing up for Highmore in this case.

These teams will meet again in Ottawa in early April, and given the lack of a response in this one, it's safe to say that if anything goes down in that home contest for the Senators, their team will need to stand up again and won't forget the actions of Xhekaj in this one.

Thankfully Highmore appeared to be okay after the game, and while physicality in the NHL is great, a late hit directly to the head is just unnecessary, so don't expect that this is the last we hear of this situation, especially given how much the rivalry between these two teams has heated up in 2024/25.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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