Martin St. Louis Reveals Arber Xhekaj's Fate For Crucial Game Two Of The Stanley Cup Playoffs

While the Montreal Canadiens pushed the Washington Capitals to overtime in Game One of their first round matchup, there was clearly a major physicality difference between the two teams, with many believing it cost Montreal a major upset victory.

However, they've still got Arber Xhekaj sitting in the press box, with many fans looking to Martin St. Louis and expecting him to inject The Sheriff into the lineup at some point in the series.

After he took a skate with the extras on Wednesday, the worry was that he would remain a healthy scratch for Game Two, and now, Head Coach Martin St. Louis has confirmed Xhekaj's fate, revealing that he will indeed be a scratch for a must-win matchup against the Capitals.

Xhekaj has been in and out of Montreal's lineup all season long, an intriguing story for a very successful Canadiens season, and while he improved, it's clear that MSL doesn't believe he's one of the best six defenseman on this roster.

While there's plenty of talent on the Canadiens blue line, there's a clearly lack of physical intimidation, and given the lack of post-season experience for this team, getting overpowered as well may simply hold them back from competing against a veteran Capitals squad.

If the same thing takes place in Game Two, expect Montreal to make a change as the series shifts back to the Bell Centre, and while for now, Xhekaj won't be injected into the lineup, don't be shocked to see him play a key role in this series if Montreal go down 2-0 on Wednesday night.