Florian & Arber Xhekaj's mom Simona drove to Montreal to surprise her sons in their first NHL game together for Habs versus Flyers

The Montreal Canadiens preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at the Bell Centre carried extra meaning for the Xhekaj family. For the first time, brothers Arber and Florian Xhekaj suited up together in the Canadiens’ lineup and both managed to make a mark on the scoresheet in their 4-2 victory.

Earlier on the day, their mother Simona Xhekaj pulled off a heartwarming surprise for her sons ahead of their first NHL game together. She shared a post on X showing a photo from her drive to Montreal, writing:

“The boys have no idea 🤫 I wouldn’t miss it for the world 🙏❤️.”

She was in the stands as the Canadiens stormed out to an early lead with Cole Caufield scoring just 53 seconds in. Minutes later, Florian buried a wrist shot at 9:58 to give Montreal a 2-0 cushion. Cameras caught Simona celebrating with tears in her eyes as her younger son scored in front of the home crowd.

The Flyers pushed back in the middle frame with a goal from Anthony Richard but Nick Suzuki quickly answered to make it 3-1 Canadiens. Philadelphia trimmed the gap again on a power play strike from Owen Tippett.

With just 14 seconds remaining, Arber Xhekaj scored a short-handed empty netter that sealed the win for Montreal. The game also featured some trademark Xhekaj toughness, with Florian dropping the gloves against Flyers veteran Nicolas Deslauriers in the second period.

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Arber Xhekaj’s mother opens up on supporting sons on their different fitness journeys

Earlier this weekend, Arber Xhekaj’s mother Simona reflected on the balancing act of helping her two sons as they worked toward very different fitness goals. On Sunday, Simona retweeted a post from TVA Sports reporter Anthony Martineau who reported Arber’s offseason transformation and body-fat reduction heading into training camp.

She admitted that guiding both sons presented its challenges, one cutting down body fat, the other trying to build muscle without gaining excess weight.

“Indeed, you can imagine the challenge mom had, and she loved it. Two boys with different goals. Same weight, less body fat ✌️for one, build size with the second without gaining fat. 👌,” she wrote.

Last season, Arber Xhekaj appeared in 70 games with the Canadiens registering one goal, five assists, 118 penalty minutes and a minus-13 rating while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per night. His younger brother Florian, meanwhile, wrapped up his first season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket notching 24 goals and 11 assists across 69 games after being drafted by Montreal in 2023.

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Edited by Anjum Rajonno