‘You Could Feel the Hatred’ Viral Footage of Arber Xhekaj vs Jordan Greenway Has Fans Predicting an All-Out War in Game 2

Arber Xhekaj got Martin St-Louis fired up even before the game started, and it really energized the Canadiens right away.

During warmups, Xhekaj was chatting with Jordan Greenway, and it was clear that Greenway was much bigger than him.

Greenway, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 231 pounds, was towering over Xhekaj at that moment.

It seemed like Buffalo wanted to establish their presence before the game even began.

But things changed quickly.

Just a few minutes into the first period of Game 2 against the Sabres, Montreal had already taken a 2-0 lead.

That’s why little moments like this are significant in a playoff atmosphere.

The teasing didn’t just stay in warmups. It continued into the first shift and even showed up on the score sheet.

Xhekaj doesn’t need to win a staring contest for it to have an effect. He just needs to make sure the other team is thinking about him once the game starts.

That warm-up moment immediately added pressure on the Buffalo Sabres.

That is exactly what happened here. Buffalo had the bigger player in that moment, but Montreal got off to a quicker start, had more energy on the bench, and made the initial move that truly mattered.

For the Sabres, that strategy backfired.

Greenway was meant to bring an advantage to Buffalo, especially against a player like Xhekaj, who plays with a lot of intensity.

But when your team goes down 2-0 so fast, the whole feeling of the game flips. Now the teasing turns into a target, and every shift is compared to the score.

That’s where Xhekaj shines. He can pull a game into chaos, but he can also keep the energy up when his team is on the attack.

The Canadiens looked like a team that took that warmup conversation to heart.

They played with more energy, their offense came at Buffalo in waves, and the Sabres were already trying to play catch-up before settling into the game.

That does not mean Xhekaj was the one who actually scored those goals or put points on the board.

What it does mean is that he helped create a vibe, and Montreal took advantage of it.

In a playoff game, that’s more than enough to be considered part of the action.

Even though Greenway looked much bigger than Arber Xhekaj during warmups, the Canadiens landed the first important hit when it counted.