The Canadiens may have walked away with a frustrating overtime loss to the Jets, but one moment from the night is already sticking with Montreal fans.
After Arber Xhekaj finished a fight with Bauer and acknowledged the crowd, every Canadiens player made his way over to the penalty box to congratulate him. That included Jacob Fowler, who joined the line just like everyone else.
“The ENTIRE bench just gave Arber his props.”
It wasn’t staged or rehearsed. It was the kind of spontaneous reaction that happens when a team feels the moment, and the Canadiens clearly did. One by one, the players came over to Xhekaj, turning a routine trip to the box into a full-team show of support.
Eric Engels described the fight as one where Xhekaj got the better of Bauer before turning to the crowd. It was Xhekaj’s first fight since January 13, 2026, against Dylan McIlrath, a stretch of nearly ten months. For a player who has piled up 434 penalty minutes in 243 career games, that gap stands out.
Bauer is in his first NHL season with Winnipeg. He has played in 9 games and picked up 23 penalty minutes, and he found himself across from one of Montreal’s most physical players.
The scene also stood out because of Fowler’s role in it. The 21-year-old goaltender, whom Martin St.
Louis has discussed following his recent appearances, went over to Xhekaj along with the rest of the bench. He was part of the group, plain and simple.
That burst of energy came before the game flipped on Montreal. Winnipeg mounted a late push, tied it 4-4 in the final moments of the third period, and forced overtime. The Canadiens then came up short in the extra frame, turning what looked like a win into a bitter finish.
Montreal will try to regroup against Utah on Thursday.
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