The Canadiens and Panthers played against each other earlier this evening. This, however, did not go without incident, as a major collision between opposing players resulted in a near frenzy against referees.
During this evening's game between Florida, Panthers player Evan Rodrigues has a massive collision with Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault. Seemingly trying to get around him, Rodrigues catches Montembeault in the back of the leg, leaving them both tripped up on the ice.
After the two fallen players start to get back up, Habs player Arber Xhekaj skates in fast toward the referee covering Rodrigues. At this time, he appears to be struggling with the ref in an attempt to start a fight with the fallen Panther. This leads other players to try skating into the rescue, but instead, lead to a struggle with each other. This may not be a good look for Xhekaj, as he has already received flack for pushing an official.
It can be difficult to determine if this collision was an unavoidable accident or intentional clipping. Fans too are divided on the matter themselves. Some find this call nonsensical or overhyped, while others find the occurrence unacceptable.
Hockey fans critical of Xhekaj's reaction to the collision can now be vindicated, with Florida beating Montreal in a shootout. It will be interesting to see if Xhekaj will continue this behavior against officiants, as it could mean a troubled future in the NHL.
