Arber Xhekaj, a Montreal Canadiens defenseman, has made it obvious that he intends to target Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk when the clubs meet on Saturday. Following Team USA’s 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final, Tkachuk pledged to use the setback as fuel for the 2026 Olympics, promising to beat Team Canada if they met next year. “This sucks,” Tkachuk stated. “I thought this team deserved better.
“I know it will be a personal goal for me in the coming year. When next year rolls around, I’ll remember how I felt. Tkachuk’s performance in the 4 Nations competition drew attention throughout the league and brought his name to the forefront, but Xhekaj did not appear concerned about facing him on Saturday.
Instead, the Canadiens blueliner seemed excited about facing Team USA’s leader later today, depending on Tkachuk’s availability and injury status.
“I’m going directly to him. I am going to crunch him. “I don’t care,” Xhekaj remarked after practice on Friday, according to TVA Sports’ Nicolas Cloutier. “I want to make his life miserable, I want his evening to be painful.” Tkachuk was one of Team USA’s most impressive players at the tournament, scoring three goals and establishing himself as a physical force despite missing Friday’s practice in Ottawa.
If he plays, as the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reports, Tkachuk should expect a tough challenge from Xhekaj, who has a reputation for hard play and is never afraid to drop the gloves if necessary. “Neither Tkachuk nor Sanderson were on the ice Friday, but both are expected to join the Senators for Saturday’s morning skate,” Garrioch told reporters. “It will be interesting to see what headspace Tkachuk and Sanderson are in.” When addressing the media on Friday, Senators head coach Travis Green did not confirm Tkachuk’s inclusion in Saturday’s lineup.
“Every player is different and every team is in a different spot,” says Green. “In our case, I hope they’d be ready to play some pretty big games.”
