The decision for the NHL to switch to a new overtime format is still pending approval from the Players’ Association then an official vote from the competition committee and board of governors. However, if the general managers have their way we’ll see plenty of games settled during three-on-three play next season.
“We think the shootout’s exciting, the fans love it, but we want more games to be finished in overtime,” Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Tuesday evening.
Holland — whose Red Wings were one of two teams that voted against the implementation of the shootout years ago — and his fellow GMs recommended the league make a change to the OT format during the GMs meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday.
The NHL’s current overtime format is five minutes of four-on-four play and it’s unclear at this time which format the league will use going forward.
Three-on-three OT is rare, but two prominent leagues use some version of the format. The Swedish Hockey League’s overtime is a straight forward five minutes of three-on-three OT, while the American Hockey League is a seven-minute frame that starts four-on-four and switches to three-on-three at the first whistle after the three-minute mark.
Holland says the NHL will, in all likelihood, convert to one of the two formats mentioned above next season.
“It’s going to be very entertaining and very exciting. It will lead to great goals,” Holland added. “It will be more exciting for our players and our fans.”
Regardless of which format the league and players choose, games will still be decided in a shootout should overtime not solve anything.
