It was a pivotal Game 3 between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens. Once again, the Canadiens didn’t put a lot of shots on goal and that helped Carolina a way to get the job done and get a 3-2 overtime win. The victory enabled the Hurricanes to get a two games to one series lead.
Sebastian Aho tallied with just under six minutes left to go in overtime to give Carolina the victory. Taylor Hall and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored goals for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen didn’t face that much volume but made 10 saves in goal for Carolina to get them to the overtime frame on the road.
Defencemen Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson each tallied goals for Montreal. Goalie Jakub Dobes made 35 saves in between the pipes for the Canadiens.
A pivotal Game 4 in the Hurricanes vs Canadiens series will be 8 p.m. Wednesday in Montreal. Carolina/Montreal will have a chance to get a commanding three games to one lead in the series with a victory.
Hurricanes vs Canadiens Game 3 Recap
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Game 3 was the second consecutive game that the Hurricanes vs Canadiens series went to an extra session. After Montreal’s shocking 6-2 victory, this has been a very even series. The Hurricanes needed an overtime tally from Nikolaj Ehlers in order to secure the victory in Game 2.
One team gets a goal, but it’s been answered pretty quickly. This has been the polar opposite of the Western Conference Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche. Vegas has shown its dominance all series and is en route to booking another appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes vs Canadiens series seems destined to go the distance. Both clubs match up with each other very well and there’s very little to separate them.
Nick Suzuki had a chance to send the fans at the Bell Centre home happy. However, the captain’s breakaway opportunity sailed wide of Andersen’s net.
Grace Under Fire
Dobes has had some struggles at times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The young netminder was even yanked in Game 6 of the second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. However, Dobes made save after save in order to keep the Habs in the game.
Goaltending seemed to be a question surrounding the Canadiens entering the postseason. However, Dobes keeps quieting his doubters at every turn. The Habs may not win the Stanley Cup, but Dobes is making a strong case to be the future in between the pipes for Montreal.
Dobes is getting far more volume than his Carolina counterpart, Andersen. The 24-year-old netminder has outplayed the more-experienced Andersen so far this series. However, it’ll be key for Montreal to give the Czech goalie some more run support to get his team to even up the series.
(Credit Image: © Alex Cave/ZUMA Press Wire)
The Defence Doesn’t Rest
Both teams have some of the best defensive groups in the league. The two clubs have some good balance when it comes to their blueliners. Each club has strong playmakers on the backend to go with versatile stay-at-home blueliners.
Three of the game’s five goals were scored by defenders. Matheson and Hutson tallied for Montreal, while Gostisbehere notched a goal for Carolina. The Habs had a third-period goal by Noah Dobson wiped out when Cole Caufield was deemed to be offside.
Montreal even has young defenders like David Reinbacher waiting in the wings. Carolina had Alexander Nikishin put up a strong first season after coming over from the KHL. These two clubs have strong blueliners and whoever wins the defensive battle will likely win the series.
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
