Hurricanes won't alter shot attempts blueprint against Capitals in Game 3

MORRISVILLE, N.C. -- Two games, three goals, 180 total shot attempts.

The Carolina Hurricanes are being the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Second Round, and they're not about to change who they are and what they do just because they haven't yet lit up the scoreboard against the Washington Capitals.

"Absolutely not," Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "That's our style. That's what we do."

The Hurricanes, unsurprisingly, have been shooting from just about anywhere on the ice against the Capitals. In two games, they have 61 shots on goal, 70 attempts that were blocked, and 49 that have missed the net, including six off the post or crossbar.

The Capitals have 84 shot attempts; 35 on goal, 20 blocked and 29 misses.

But the Hurricanes have only three goals to show for it, one on 28 shots on goal and 86 total shot attempts in Game 2. Washington has four goals in the best-of-7 series that is tied 1-1 going into Game 3 at Lenovo Center on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

"I'd say the luck isn't there, but we're not going to change a thing," Gostisbehere said. "If it ain't broke, we're not going to fix it. That's our game. We put pucks on the net. We crash the net. We get traffic and the bounces will come next."

So, certainly Carolina isn't about to become a team that all of a sudden gets selective with its shot attempts, or passive in the offensive zone.

However, getting more of these attempts to turn into shots on goal is one of the biggest keys to the Hurricanes' staying power in these playoffs.

"You've got to try to hit the net, and we're trying," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I look at more the opportunities to get it there. Are we getting it there and do we have traffic there? Because every goalie is going to save it if he sees it. That's the next phase. You've got to keep trying to fight to get to the net. Both teams are trying to do that. I didn't look at the actual Grade A scoring chances [in Game 2]. I know the first game we doubled it. That's the number. It's not all the other stuff, it's what is it leading to? We've got to keep doing what we do. If we get off of it, we're lessening our chances to win."

That's been the Hurricanes philosophy ever since Brind'Amour took over as coach starting with the 2018-19 season.

According to NHL Stats, the Hurricanes averaged 38.5 shot attempts per game that were blocked or missed the net during this regular season along with finishing second in the League with 31.7 shots on goal per game.

The League average for combined blocked/missed attempts was 31.2.

So far in the playoffs they're averaging 50.3 attempts per game that miss the net or get blocked. The League average for missed/blocked attempts average entering Friday was 36.1. The Hurricanes also led the playoffs with 34.9 shots on goal per game.

Since 2018-19, they've averaged 32.2 attempts per game that get blocked or miss in the regular season. The average increases 37.0 per game in the playoffs. Both, of course, are more than the League averages of 27.2 in the regular season and 30.7 in the playoffs.

So, what they're doing now is no different than what they've always done under Brind'Amour. But the Hurricanes also have to hope that the first two games against Washington isn't just a continuation of a trend that has led to their elimination from the playoffs.

They averaged 16.5 more shot attempts per game in the second round against the New York Rangers last season and lost the series in six games; losing Games 1, 2 and 3 each by one goal, and Game 6 by two thanks to a Rangers empty-net goal.

They averaged 2.75 goals per game in their four losses.

Carolina was swept by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final in 2023 despite averaging 21.25 more shot attempts per game. All four games were decided by one goal, including a four-overtime Game 1.

The Hurricanes scored six goals in the four games.

"I mean, we try to score on every shot, but [the Capitals] have done a good job blocking shots," Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said. "That's a good team. They defend well. I think we defend well as well. Their goalie has been playing good. I guess stick with what we do and have a chance to put it in."

The Capitals without question did a much better job defending the Hurricanes' expected onslaught of shot attempts in Game 2 on Thursday than they did in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Washington had the puck more than it did in Game 1, when it managed just 14 shots on goal and 34 total attempts to Carolina's 33 shots and 94 attempts. The Capitals had 21 shots on goal and 50 attempts in Game 2; Carolina had 33 shots and 86 attempts.

The 36-attempt discrepancy in Game 2 is closer to the balance the Capitals can live with, especially if they're able to consistently connect two passes to break out of their own zone, as they did more of in Game 2.

"It definitely was a night and day difference between Game 1 and Game 2," Capitals forward Andrew Mangiapane said.

But the Hurricanes still had 34 shots blocked and 24 more that missed the net. That's 56 shots that did not test Washington goalie Logan Thompson. They had 61 that didn't reach him in Game 1.

"Be a little bit more accurate, right?" joked Aho.

Well, yes, if they can be while keeping the same intentions.

"What else are you going to do?" Brind'Amour said. "They're doing a great job defending the net. You've got to take what's given to you and that is what is given to you. If we stop doing that -- I thought we actually got away from it in the first period -- what does it look like? Not great. Not bad, but we've got to take what's given."