A couple of weeks ago during the NHL general managers meeting in Toronto one of the topics discussed was eliminating the shootout.
After watching two of them this week, the evidence to keep the final manner in which a winner is determined in a regular-season game, is strong from this observer.
Now, the team I do play-by-play broadcasting for, the Calgary Flames, won both of them, which is a rarity in itself.
Only two other teams started this season with fewer shootout wins than the Flames, so when they won an eight-round shootout in Winnipeg on Monday that had the spectators standing and capped the week with another at home on Friday over Florida, it was unprecedented to have them win two in five days.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman pushed hard to have the shootouts after the work stoppage wiped out the entire 2004-05 season. His feeling was it adds to the entertainment package of a night at the game and a conclusive manner in which to get a winner.
The Flames’ 4-3 win over the Panthers on Friday underscored the excitement it brings to the spectators and it can change the fans’ mood on the overall evening.
It was another game were Bob Hartley’s club started slowly. They had only three shots on goal in the first period falling behind 1-0. The period had little pace with the Panthers getting just six shots. The pace picked up slightly in the second period as the Flames took a 2-1 lead with Joe Colborne and Sven Baertschi scoring 3:04 apart.
That became a 3-1 advantage when Blair Jones, just called up from AHL Abbotsford, scored at 5:40 of the third period. Then some mistakes saw Calgary’s two-goal lead evaporate when Florida forced OT as the home crowd sagged.
The overtime produced no scoring as the Flames outshot the Panthers, 5-2.
That brought on the shootout, which went six players deep on each side and had the capacity crowd on its feet. Rookie Flames goalie Reto Berra set the tone when he stopped Florida’s first shooter Jonathan Huberdeau with a nifty poke check. When rookie Sean Monahan, the sixth Flames shooter, scored on 39-year-old Tim Thomas they erupted with more vigor. The noise got louder when Berra stopped Jimmy Hayes to seal the Flames’ victory. Monahan also produced the decisive shootout marker on Monday against the Jets.
The crowd joyously saluted the home side through the three stars announcement and beyond.
Maybe it was the rarity of seeing their team win a shootout in the Saddledome since it was just their seventh in 28 ventures there and first since Feb. 11, 2012.
Regardless, the shootout, which took under 10 minutes to complete, turned a sombre crowd emotion to elation feeling they got their money’s worth.
Would a longer overtime scheme provide a better mood? Unlikely.