If the Montreal Canadiens are to get to the Stanley Cup Final, they'll have to make the most of the Carolina Hurricanes' goaltender's lack of confidence.
While Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was a big part of the reason why Rob Brind’Amour’s men swept their first two series, he has been having difficulties against the Montreal Canadiens in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final.
On Saturday night, the Canadiens had only 12 shots on goal through 60 minutes, yet they managed to beat Andersen twice to force overtime. Before the start of round three, the netminder had a .950 save percentage in the Cane’s eight wins. In two games against the Canadiens, however, he has struggled. In Game 1, he gave up five goals on 21 shots for a .762 SV. In Game 2, he surrendered two goals on just 12 shots for a .833 SV.
Clearly, he’s not doing as well as he was in the first two rounds, and the Canadiens have to capitalize on that. It won’t be easy to do if the Habs don’t shoot more often. Martin St-Louis’ men tend to go for quality over quantity when it comes to shots, but they may want to reconsider in this series.
The more shots they put on net, the better their odds of beating Andersen, who’s clearly doubting himself. On at least three occasions on Saturday night, the Canes’ netminder checked behind himself after making a save, clearly wondering if the puck got past him.
Granted, taking a lot of shots against Carolina is easier said than done, but that’s an adjustment Martin St-Louis and his coaching staff have got to make in this series. Making the most of Andersen’s shaky play will be key if the Canadiens are to get through to the Stanley Cup Final.
Despite Andersen having two difficult games to start the series, it would be surprising to see Rod Brind’Amour go with his backup for Game 3, but if the trend continues, he may just do so, and the Canadiens have to strike fast.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.