Leafs' Ryan Reaves wanted to fight Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj in last night's game, and it is likely a gesture the Habs player made that led to the Leafs' comeback. Leading up to <a href='https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-montreal-canadiens-game-recap-january-18' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>last night's contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens</a>, much of the discussion was whether or not Ryan Reaves would pick up his first fighting major of the season. With Arber Xhekaj in the lineup and their history, many thought the gloves would drop. Reaves was inserted back into the lineup by head coach Craig Berube after being scratched in the <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/maple-leafs-complete-comeback-beat-devils-in-ot/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Leafs' overtime win over the Devils</a>. He was deemed important in a physical affair against a rival. However, the Canadiens jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the opening frame, and it appeared to dash those hopes. <h3>Arber Xhekaj arrogantly points to the scoreboard</h3> In an attempt to get his team going, Reaves tried to goad <a href='https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/player/arber-xhekaj-8482964' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Xhekaj</a> into a fight, but he simply wouldn't budge and pointed to the scoreboard, attempting to show Reaves that his team was beating him 3-0. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1880782385874432425'> </a></blockquote></div> Later, the two had some physicality where Reaves fought for position around the Canadiens' net, and Xhekaj kept him in check. Despite the history between the two, the altercation didn't spill over any further. Xhekaj's decision not to engage seemed bold with his team up by three, but it spectacularly blew up in his face as the Maple Leafs furiously rallied with seven unanswered goals. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/racheldoerrie/status/1880805199473988015'> </a></blockquote></div> Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson scored in the second period, while William Nylander, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Auston Matthews, Steven Lorentz, and David Kampf all scored in the third to make the final 7-3. <a href='https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/player/ryan-reaves-8471817' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Reaves</a> finished the game with two hits in 6:38 of ice time, while Xhekaj, who delivered a big hit on Reaves in the second, played 13:41 with a minus-1 rating. These teams don't play each other again until April, but Reaves vs. Xhekaj is far from over. The events of this game will simply add fuel to the fire.