CH: the lowest total number of shots in the history of a best-of-five series

Mathis Therrien
CH: the lowest total number of shots in the history of a best-of-five series
Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

As much as we should be very happy and proud of the Montreal Canadiens for their 2025–2026 season, which took them all the way to the conference finals, we can't help but be disappointed with how it ended.

The Habs were completely outclassed by the Carolina Hurricanes, especially in the last two games.

Martin St. Louis's team simply couldn't generate any offense, let alone get shots on goal.

It became pathetic just how little the Habs were shooting on goal, and it's all the more so now that it's a record for mediocrity in National Hockey League history.

In fact, the Habs recorded the lowest total number of shots in a five-game series with 89 shots (21, 12, 13, 18, and 24).

It's a record of mediocrity that stings, and it really shows just how outmatched the Canadiens were against the Hurricanes.

The Habs gave us a magnificent season and some incredible moments, but as Lane Hutson said, the team is still far from the ultimate goal.

No adjustments were made—or were even possible—as the Hurricanes completely shut down the Habs in the four games following Game 1.

In fact, in those four games, only three goals were scored by forwards—two by Josh Anderson and one by Cole Caufield last night, but on the power play.

At five-on-five, it's been all the more difficult for the Canadiens—not just against the Hurricanes, but throughout the entire playoffs.

Without their power play, well, let's just say the Habs' playoff run could have been a lot shorter.

Because in terms of shots on goal per 60 minutes at five-on-five, the Habs have averaged about 21 in this series.

That's worse than the Vancouver Canucks—the worst team in the regular season—who averaged about 24 shots per 60 minutes at five-on-five.

In short, the lack of shots on goal was clearly a major issue throughout the playoffs, as the Habs finished the series ranked last out of 16 teams with an average of 23.2 shots per game.

And in terms of five-on-five shot attempts, the Habs finished the playoffs in 15th place with 53.7, just ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers at 52.5.

Looking ahead to next season, this will clearly require a major adjustment, because while the Habs may have all the talent in the world, they really shouldn't always be looking for the perfect play.

This really hurt the Habs during the playoffs, as they tried too hard to guarantee a goal rather than going for quantity over quality in their shots.


In Brief

– Here is the schedule for the final series.

– Very well said.

– Note.

– Well done.

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