When NHL general managers met in November, one of their big agenda items was three-on-three overtime, which some people think has become stale. “I just think OT is not as exciting as when it first came in — not as many change of possessions with all the regroups,” Kraken GM Ron Francis told The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun.
Since the introduction of a five-minute, three-on-three overtime period in the 2015-16, teams have gradually tuned their playstyles to minimize risk. That means holding onto the puck, even if it means forgoing scoring chances. Consequently, there has been an eight-percent drop in shot-attempt pace since the new overtime was adopted. The goal rate is down by almost ten percent from last year’s high-water mark, meaning more games are going to the shootout, such as Sunday’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.
Washington’s play might be the best example so far of how teams have solved the fun right out of overtime.
It actually started great, with three scoring chances (one for Washington, two for Carolina) in the first minute and change. At the 61-second mark, Martin Necas attempts a wraparound on Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper. That was the last time the Hurricanes would have the puck for exactly three minutes. During those three minutes, nothing happened. I will now document that nothing for you.
It begins with Evgeny Kuznetsov behind goal line, standing still for 15 seconds, not even touching the puck for five of them, as the Capitals reorganized.
When Kuznetsov finally deals the puck, Martin Fehervary bails on exiting the defensive zone and retreats behind the goal line again.
On the next push Tom Wilson gains the offensive zone, but I guess he didn’t like what we saw there so he passed it back to Fehervary in neutral while the Caps swapped personnel again.
More than a minute into possession, Dylan Strome gets the puck in the his own zone. He skates a loop until he picks up checking pressure from Carolina. He resets with Rasmus Sandin.
Two subsequent pushes up the ice are abandoned despite light counter-play from Carolina, but then Aliaksei Protas finally gains the zone for the first time in about a minute.
Protas promptly abandons the zone.
The Caps swap players again, and Kuznetsov gets the puck in his own end. He and Carlson get deep into the Canes’ zone for the first time in almost three minutes, but Kuznetsov can’t find a play so he skates back to center ice.
Kuznetsov keeps possession, crosses the blue line into Carolina’s zone, then crosses back into neutral. There he gives the puck to Tom Wilson, who is just as frustrated as you are. Wilson attempts a low-danger shot that gets deflected into the netting, causing a merciful stoppage.
This is the first shot attempt in 2:56 seconds. After the ensuing faceoff, Carolina touches the puck for the first time in more than three minutes. The Canes blow a rush attack, then the Capitals are in control again. They get three scoring chances in the final minute but do not score.
The final tally for overtime: two blocked shots, two missed shots, two shots on goal.
| Time | Attempts |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | – |
| 0:15 | – |
| 0:30 | McMichael |
| 0:45 | Necas |
| 1:00 | – |
| 1:15 | – |
| 1:30 | – |
| 1:45 | – |
| 2:00 | – |
| 2:15 | – |
| 2:30 | – |
| 2:45 | – |
| 3:00 | – |
| 3:15 | – |
| 3:30 | – |
| 3:45 | Wilson |
| 4:00 | – |
| 4:15 | – |
| 4:30 | Strome |
| 4:45 |
Kuznetsov, Sandin
|
Washington’s total possession time was around 4:20. Before Wilson’s blocked 40-footer, they generated no shot attempts during their three-minute regroup clinic. All of their unblocked shots came in the final minute, totaling 0.29 in expected goals.
The discussed rule changes would have made Washington’s tactics impossible. Those proposals included a version of basketball’s backcourt violation — punishing teams who advance across center ice or the blue line and then retreat — as well as a shot clock. Extending the length of overtime appears to be a nonstarter for now, as it would represent a concession from the players’ association.
No changes have been formally proposed or agreed to yet. The league is asking for more input from coaches and players.
Screenshot: Monumental Sports Network
