By not taking shots, the Canadiens are shooting themselves in the foot

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
By not taking shots, the Canadiens are shooting themselves in the foot
Credit: Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images

Wayne Gretzky once said that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Well, last night, he might have been better off heading down to the Canadiens' locker room (he was at the game) to remind the players of that important adage.

Because last night was… something else.

The Canadiens had 13 shots on goal, 11 of which came in the first two periods. That leaves just one in the third and a single shot in overtime.

Including Game #2, we're talking about 25 shots in eight periods of hockey. That's not enough!

I know the Habs are taking shots on goal. I know Mike Matheson could have changed the narrative this morning if he'd scored instead of hitting the post. I know there are plenty of opportunities like that we could point to.

Noah Dobson's goal, disallowed for offside, is another one.

But the reality is that the Canadiens didn't shoot enough. They didn't play like a team that deserved to win and take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Hurricanes, on the other hand, played that way.

It's a shame for the Habs because they're clearly winning the battle in front of the net. Frederik Andersen is so… shaky that a higher volume of shots would undoubtedly make the difference.

If we swapped goalies, we'd have a different series. But that's not how it works, and the Habs need to listen to their fans: they need to shoot on the opponent's net. Instead, they're shooting themselves in the foot…


overtime

– Maybe that was a good question after all.

– The Habs have lost two games in a row for the first time in the playoffs.

– Historically, the Habs win about one out of every four series when they're down 1-2.

– That's part of the equation, indeed.

– Overtime in an 8 p.m. game is tough on the fans watching the game. Imagine the players…

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