Arber Xhekaj fined thousands for going after Cedric Pare last night

Saturday night's clash between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens was an eventful one, with the biggest story coming out of the game being the gutless attack from Cedric Pare on Patrik Laine, potentially taking the star forward out for a significant stretch. He would feel it shortly thereafter, however, as physical defenseman Arber Xhekaj would go after him in a big way, making the career AHLer feel it after his attack on Laine.

While Xhekaj knew he had to go after Pare, he also knew there would be consequences, and that has now been revealed by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, as they have officially fined the young defenseman.

The fine comes in at $3,385.42 and is the maximum allowable for this offense under the NHL's CBA, but after the way Pare went after Xhekaj's superstar teammate, this is what he had to do, and this is a major part of his role in the NHL. While most fans agree with what he did, some were expecting a suspension, so to just suffer a fine is a solid result in the end for the Canadiens blue liner.

There's still no update on Laine's condition after the brutal collision as he continues to be examined, but this needed to happen after Pare's dreadful attack on Laine, so it's safe to say that Xhekaj's teammates will be very supportive and grateful after the way he handled the situation.