Why Aren't The Montreal Canadiens Shooting More? Not Even The Players Seem To Know

Montreal faces a mounting question about its offense as it grapples with the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Canadiens, who averaged the fewest shots per game in the playoffs, posted just 12 shots in Game 2 and 13 in Game 3, underscoring a struggle to generate offense. Montreal's approach has been conservative; even in the series-clinching Game 7 against Tampa Bay, they managed only nine shots. Carolina's stifling forecheck and possession game have intensified the issue, leaving winger Cole Caufield to acknowledge that more shots are needed. The context matters: the Hurricanes took a 38-shot night to clinch, while Montreal was outshot 7-1 in the third and 6-1 in overtime as Svechnikov secured the win on Carolina's 38th shot.