The Montreal Canadiens lost Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens now face a high-stakes situation before heading into Wednesday's Game 4, which is why the team should resort to what NHL veteran Wayne Gretzky once said.

The Canadiens finished Game 3 with just 13 shots on goal and a combined 25 shots across Games 2 and 3. There were long stretches that went by without Montreal registering any kind of offense, which the Hurricanes made good use of and handed them a defeat. 

In such a situation, Gretzky's quote holds good to describe the Canadiens' defeat, which primarily stemmed from the low number of shots on goal. The retired legend once said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take,” and right now, the Canadiens are proving that point as the tournament continues.

Hockey analyst Irfaan Gaffar also echoed Gertzky's take following the Canadiens' loss. He said, "Zero shots in nearly 25 minutes isn't a recipe for success for the Canadiens. Gotta cook something new up in the game plan for game four."

NHL insider David Pagnotta also pointed out the disparity between the two teams online, saying, "Shoot!? Carolina did, 38 times, including a shot by Svechnikov for the OT winner as #SoundTheSiren beats the #GoHabsGo 3-2 & takes a 2-1 series lead in the ECF."

But despite the defeat, there's no reason to think that the Canadiens can't get back up. The side defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 with only nine shots earlier in the playoffs, showing that they do have the form and the possibilities still exist. 

While volume does not guarantee victory, it increases the probability of creating high-danger scoring chances.

Andrei Svechnikov Ends It in OT as Carolina Tightens Its Grip on the Series

Shayne Gostisbehere opened the score at 8:24 of the first period, making a shot to the left post, before Taylor Hall added a second goal for Carolina at 16:22. 

Montreal Canadiens responded immediately, with Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson making goals, and then going on a power play in the second period, to tie at 2-2. After the third period, which was scoreless, the two teams headed to overtime still tied.

Hutson attempted to make a pass to Juraj Slafkovsky while exiting the Canadiens zone, but turned the puck over. The Hurricanes worked it around before Svechnikov fired past Jakub Dobes and secured the goal. Carolina Hurricanes outshot Montreal Canadiens with 38-13 that night.

Head coach Martin St. Louis was honest about his team’s performance, saying his team was "too slow" in some areas and that when they did pick up their pace, they still could not match their opponents. 

With the series set to continue at the Bell Centre for Game 4, do you think that the Canadiens will keep Gretzky's remark in mind and shoot for the goal more than they did in Game 3?

Read more at NHL Fan Central

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Souvik Roy