Outshot By 20? In The NHL Playoffs, That’s Not Always A Problem
The push notification looked like a glitch. The Montreal Canadiens had beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series despite being outshot 29-9. Montreal had only nine shots on goal, went nearly 27 minutes without one, failed to register a single shot in the second period, and still won 2-1 on Alex Newhooks third-period goal. It was the lowest shot total by a winning playoff team since shots on goal became an official statistic in 1959-60. That would be strange enough as a one-off. But it was not even the first time in this postseason that a team won a playoff game while being outshot by 20. On April 24, the Utah Mammoth beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 3 of their first-round series. Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves for Utah, while Vegas goalie Carter Hart made only eight, and Utah won its first home playoff game in franchise history despite being outshot by the same 20-shot margin. NHLI via Getty Images Shot differential is one of hockeys most intuitive numbers. More shots usually suggest more possession, more offensive-zone time, more pressure, and more chances to force a goalie into mistakes. But the Canadiens and Mammoth