Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj makes feelings known about his little brother Florian's preseason performance in win over Flyers

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj shared his thoughts on his younger brother, Florian Xhekaj’s, performance in the preseason.

On Tuesday, Florian scored a goal in the Canadiens’ 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. He also engaged in a spirited second-period fight against Flyers’ heavyweight Nic Deslauriers.

After the game, Arber Xhekaj expressed immense pride in his brother, noting that Florian stole the show with his performance.

“He stole the show tonight. He had a good fight & I got scared for a moment. I gotta realize that he’s all grown up now. Now he’s my size, he’s not a little boy anymore, so I gotta get that outta my head. I’m proud of him.."

Florian Xhekaj was drafted 101st overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2023 NHL draft. The 21-year-old is yet to make an appearance for the club in the regular season.

Arber Xhekaj's brother dropped gloves against Nic Deslauriers

After scoring the goal to put the Habs up 2-0 in the first period, Florian Xhekaj dropped the gloves against one of the toughest fighters, Nic Deslauriers, in the second period.

The Flyers’ enforcer came out on top, delivering solid shots and pinning Florian to the boards before referees intervened to stop the fight. Notably, Deslauriers has now fought both Xhekaj brothers.

Watch the video here:

Cole Caufield gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead just 52 seconds into the first period. Florian Xhekaj then extended the lead to 2-0 before the second period.

Anthony Richard cut the deficit to 2-1 for the Flyers at 11:11 of the second period. Nick Suzuki restored the Canadiens’ lead to 3-1 before Owen Tippett made it 3-2 for the Flyers heading into the final period.

Arber Xhekaj sealed the win for the Canadiens with an empty-net goal with ten seconds remaining in the game. The Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Centre Bell in their next preseason game on Thursday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta