They sent a message the previous game, that didn't stop Greig from doing what he did.
It's cool to send messages, but if they're not received, it's not very effective.
It's great that AX is capable/willing to step up for his teammates, but he also has to realize that he's a relied upon Dman and his value goes beyond being a score settler, so he has to be more strategic about when/how he goes about it.
It's preseason. This is literally the perfect time to go about it.
If Xhekaj takes a 7 minute penalty in the regular season or costs us the game like he did last night when it actually matters, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone in here that's a fan of that, no matter what the motivation behind it was.
People hate 'the code' in hockey, but the last two games you see why it's there. It settles scores and calms things down. If Pare answers the bell in the Leafs game after his hit (or when Xhekaj steps to him), it's most likely over and done with afterward. If Greig does it last night right away (he refused Pezetta, refused Struble) that's most likely over too.
But neither did. They threw blatant, dirty hits at our best players and when stepped to did absolutely nothing. That's why this stuff happens. That's why Pare gets jumped, and why Stutzle gets run. These dirty rat players have no problem doing their acts but don't face the music that normally comes with it.
You don't have to like it but that's hockey. Players police the game. That's the way it's always been. It's trending toward not being that way, but it's not there yet. And when the refs/league/rats don't do anything about it, guys take matters into their own hands.