Montreal Canadiens are attempting an advanced analytics approach focused on scoring without taking shots. The idea began after a Game 7 win over Tampa Bay and has become a persistent obsession despite poor results. In the Eastern Conference Final, Montreal is down to one win from elimination, yet continues to avoid shooting. They were shut out 4-0 on Wednesday, delaying their first shot for eight minutes and taking only a limited number of shots in the second period. In the third period, they went more than 17 minutes without a shot on goal. After Nick Suzuki finally took a long shot, Carolina responded with a crossbar hit and then scored quickly, extending the deficit.
"Either that, or the Carolina Hurricanes are putting together the first five-game sweep in history. Either way, we're getting something we've never seen before, and we're only going to get one more chance, Friday night in Raleigh, to see it. That is, unless the Canadiens manage to perfect their new signature move: scoring without shooting. It's only worked once so far, and that by accident, but head coach Martin St. Louis has fallen in love with the concept and has watched his lads lose their last three games in pursuit of it."
"Wednesday night they were blitzed 4-0, and the highlights were established early when they waited eight minutes to take their first shot on a goal, a tip attempt from their repeated Game 7 hero Alex Newhook. By they time they took their third shot, Carolina with their world-weary and traditional method had scored three times, and after an aberrant second period in which Montreal took a normal amount of shots (10) and got nothing for it, they went back to the plan and put no shots on goal over the first 17 minutes of the third period."
"Carolina didn't score either in that entire stretch, but as soon as Nick Suzuki went rogue and ripped a 30-footer at narcoleptic Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen, the Hurricanes became angry at the Canadiens' effrontery and first hit the Montreal crossbar (Nik Ehlers) and then scored seconds later (Andrei Svechnikov) for the completely gratuitous fourth goal."
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