One bounce the other way, and we could be talking about the Carolina Hurricanes' fortunes in a different light. Instead, the Canes own a 2-1 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens with a pair of overtime wins. Both wins have ended 3-2, and they've each seen the Canes dominate during the extra frame. They're in an excellent spot heading into Wednesday's Game 4.
Game 3: The fourth line continued its excellent series with the opening goal, working hard to free the puck for Shayne Gostisbehere. Mike Matheson tied it, but Taylor Hall responded 54 seconds later to restore the Canes' lead. Lane Hutson buried a give-and-go on the power play in the second period. Without a winner after 60 minutes, Andrei Svechnikov was the hero in overtime to snag a 3-2 win.
On the Other Side: Montreal Canadiens
Shots have been hard to come by for the Canadiens over their last two games. After scoring six times on 22 shots in Game 1, the Habs have just 25 shots total in Games 2 and 3, though they've made good use of those chances, scoring four times. While the shots haven't been plentiful, the scoring chances have. Many of those 25 shots have tested Frederik Andersen.
Monday's loss marked the first time this postseason that Montreal has lost back-to-back games, having won its previous six, including two Game 7s. Despite this, they remain an ever-present threat, needing just one win to swing momentum back in their favor. It'll start with their top line, which has been unusually quiet for the last two games.
What to Watch in Game 4
An emphasis on special teams: Lane Hutson and the Canadiens drew first blood in the special teams battle in Game 3, striking on the power play in the second period. It's the first of its kind in a series that hasn't featured an abundance of chances for either side. Carolina is yet to score in eight attempts, while Montreal has one goal in six opportunities.
For the last three games, it feels as if we're waiting for the dam to break and for one team to truly change a game on special teams. However, extra-curriculars after the whistle haven't been as present during this series as they were in the previous two rounds. Officiating, as a whole, has been lackluster for both sides, so we should be due for a penalty fest soon.
Shot generation, especially for Montreal: As I noted for the Habs above, they haven't had much puck possession since their win in Game 1. A lot of that must be credited to the adjustments that the Canes' defense made between games. Meanwhile, the Canes are throwing everything at the net and seeing what makes it as the Canadiens' defense jumps in front of everything.
This covers two different lines of thinking. First, can the Hurricanes do enough to consistently beat Jakub Dobes and avoid overtime for a third straight game? Second, can the Canadiens generate enough offense, period? It's hard to win one game with only 12 or 13 shots, let alone two or three. Game 4 could be a massive turning point for them before heading back to Raleigh.
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