Florian Xhekaj explained why he decided to drop the gloves with Toronto's Marshall Rifai and the answer was wild, but par for the course from the Habs enforcer.
Xhekaj is no stranger to getting physically involved, as he and his brother Arber are most known for crushing hits and heavy haymakers and with them facing the Maple Leafs on Saturday, intensity was at the doorstep.
Florian Xhekaj said Toronto was 'pissed off' with how he was treating them
He dropped the gloves with Toronto's Marshall Rifai on Saturday, and gave an honest and blunt reason for his decision - the Maple Leafs were sick and tired of him:
They were pissed off because I was going after some of their guys, so they kept talking to me. Then I said: 'So let's go.' And then he ended up throwing his gloves, so it was fun.
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It wasn't the only time that Xhekaj ended up getting involved as he ended up finding himself in a testy situation with Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, with the two trading slashes and getting a bit lippy after the whistle had blown:
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Arber actually got to see the fight after getting downtime between whistles, and commended his brother for holding his own against Rifai:
There's a little bit of time in between the whistles. The guy pulled out his phone and showed me the fight. It was a sick fight. It's good for him man.
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Toronto needs to push back when Xhekaj tries to intimidate
Rifai wasn't the only player who scrapped in Toronto's split-squad games as both Teddy Blueger and Michael Pezzetta dropped the gloves. But it's part of a strategy that the team needs to implement when playing Montreal.
The Xhekaj brothers are going to be a nightmare for the Maple Leafs if they are unable to push back because they aren't making life any easier for Toronto's stars. With Gavin McKenna and Auston Matthews having gigantic targets on their backs, they need a deterrent to the Montreal onslaught.
It's a huge reason why the team went after Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Blueger, and all those other hard-nosed, tough-as-nails bottom-six players. They offer a lot of other benefits but the protection is a key asset that can't be overlooked.
So the next time that Florian, Arber, or any of the other Montreal players want to take a shot at the Maple Leafs players, they have to accept that it's not the same group as last year and they are going to have to answer for their actions this time around.
Was being upset at Florian Xhekaj enough of a reason for Marshall Rifai to fight him?
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