The return home to the Bell Centre for the Eastern Conference Finals has not been pretty for the Montreal Canadiens.
After being outshot 39-13 in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3, Game 4 on Wednesday night was somehow even worse, as Montreal was manhandled 4-0 by the Carolina Hurricanes, once again drastically outshot, this time 43-18.
It was a pretty lifeless performance that now puts the Canadiens on the brink of elimination, but when asked whether fatigue from a deep playoff run has started to set in, Nick Suzuki wasn’t having any of it.
“Being too tired? I don’t think so, we’re a pretty young team. I think it’s the Eastern Conference Final, I think you can find energy. You know, I thought our start was pretty good and then all of a sudden we’re down 3-0. Yeah, it’s definitely a big hole, but I thought we continued to play, just not generating enough offense,”
The 26-year-old Suzuki has tallied 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) through 18 games this postseason. This comes after racking up a career-high 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists) in 82 regular-season games.
While “tired” may not be the right word to describe Montreal’s recent play, their inexperience compared to a Hurricanes team that has gone through plenty of Eastern Conference Finals hardships themselves has certainly shown.
Aside from a very uncharacteristic Game 1, Carolina has dictated the terms of this series, looking like a well-oiled machine, making it difficult for the Canadiens to even generate scoring chances.
Coming back from down 3-1 will be an extremely tough task for Montreal, but they’ve found ways to win all season long, so they can’t be counted out just yet. Game 5 goes down Friday night at Lenovo Center.
Next: Insider Pegs Chicago Cubs as Top Tarik Skubal Landing Spot
