Canadiens Controlled the Ice but Came Up Short in OT

Montréal spent the night making the right plays and generating the better looks, yet left with a loss because finishing and netminding flipped the margin. The Canadiens drove play — they owned about 57% of the shot attempts and their chances were worth just over three expected goals, but Pittsburgh’s chances were worth slightly more on the model. The turning moments were clear: Nick Suzuki hit the iron on a quality chance, a genuine missed opportunity to turn pressure into a lead. Meanwhile goalie Jakub Dobes conceded more than the shot quality suggested; his goals-saved-above-expected was a negative number on an expected goals against of 2.75, meaning Montreal’s shots weren’t backed by saves. In short: the process was there — possession and looks — but the finishing bounces and goaltending ran against them. Takeaway: this was a game to feel good about for how Montréal played, even if the scoreboard didn’t agree.