‘I don’t know what’s up with that guy’

It would be an understatement to say that Thursday night’s game between Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers was tense.

The horn was sounded and the Panthers were able walk off with a commanding position 6-2 victory, though the storyline wasn’t about the final score. Everyone was talking about the intensity and hatred between the teams as they played for an incredible 90 minutes of penalty time, which included three fights and three misconducts.

Although there were several heated moments throughout the contest, The third period saw one of the most dramatic moments. With the score already 6-2, Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas took a big run at Habs forward Kirby Dach — in retaliation for a big hit moments earlier — appearing to go for his knee. This infuriated several of Dach’s teammates, most notably rookie Arber Xhekaj, who called out the veteran after the game.

“He never does,” Xhekaj said When Gudas was asked about Gudas’ questionable hit, he did not answer. “I don’t know what’s up with that guy. He’ll be taking runs at guys’ knees all game. He does play hard, I’ll give it to him. But at some point you’ve gotta show that you’re going to be able to do that.”

Xhekaj isn’t wrong to suggest Gudas has had some questionable incidents in the past. The 32-year old has been suspended numerous times and has had many other hits in his career that many consider to be dirty. He adds a certain toughness to the Panthers’ front end and is adept at getting under the skins of his opponents, as he did Thursday.

This season, the two teams will be meeting up again twice. So there may be even more fireworks. The first matchup will be held at the Bell Center on March 16, while the second will take place at FLA Arena two weeks later, on March 30, 2018.

Find out more about Sports