Have you purchased the range hood and the cabinets already? If you didn't buy the hood yet, there may be smaller (shallower) range hoods on the market that might prevent this issue in the first place.

I've been researching range hoods for months. This model best fits my criteria if the install works.

The hood is mounted directly on the wall using the two small clips at the top. Therefore, the cabinet over it just needs to support its own weight, nothing more.

The only drawback I see with this model is that the 8 3/8" distance between the two mounting bolts is too small to hit two studs, which means that the installer will have to open up the drywall to add a brace.

Gigelus, thank you for taking the time to peruse the install diagram and respond to my query. The install instructions do show the wall opened up for cross bracing. Fortunately, a master bedroom closet is on the back side, behind the cabinets, so the studs are easily accessible. Wow, what a relief. I greatly appreciate your assistance.