VOORHEES, N.J. — If you paid close attention to the preseason across the league, you probably noticed select games featured an overtime period even if a team had already secured a win in regulation.
What gives?
Well, the answer is simple. The NHL wants to increase scoring while also limiting the number of games being decided by the shootout, which is why all OTs will be three-on-three (plus goalies) for five minutes in the 2015-16 season.
The NHL Board of Governors approved the format change, along with several other rule alterations, this past June.
With only six skaters on the ice in the extra frame, there’s going to be a lot of open ice at their disposal. As we saw in the preseason, three-on-three could be difficult to game plan for.
Most teams elected to use the most logical setup — two forwards and one defenseman. Other teams rolled three forwards. Coaches have plenty of options, but will the NHL see the increase in scoring it desires?
“Yeah, I think so,” Flyers captain Claude Giroux said after practice at the Skate Zone recently. “Teams are gonna try different strategies but, for us, we’re just gonna see what we can do and how we can find a way to put that puck in the net.”
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Giroux and linemate Jakub Voracek had two overtime game-winners apiece last season but the Flyers, as a team, struggled mightily after regulation. They went 5-7 in OT and 3-11 in the dreaded shootout.
“I think it’s going to be entertaining for the fans, tough for the players because it’s gonna be an up-and-down game,” defenseman Mark Streit said. “But it’s a big part of the game. Last year, we didn’t do a great job in OT and in shootouts. It’s something we definitely want to be better this year.”
There are, however, a few other changes of note for the overtime frame. At no point will either team have fewer than three players on the ice. For example, if a penalty is assessed, the manpower shifts from three-on-three to four-on-three. If a second minor is handed out, teams will skate five-on-three. Play will continue when a player exits the penalty box — it could be four-on-four or five-on-five — but the manpower will be adjusted back to three-on-three at the next whistle.
But here’s where it gets interesting: If a team elects to pull its goaltender for an extra attacker during the overtime period — other than on a delayed penalty — that team would forfeit its one point earned for the tie at the end of regulation in the event the opposing team scores into the empty net.
“In my opinion, it’s gonna be about 89 percent [decided in overtime],” Voracek said. “It’s a lot of space, it’s a lot of work. You gotta find a way to play a good system. You gotta play good defense because if you get stuck in your zone, you can get stuck for a very long time.”
New Flyers coach Dave Hakstol mostly used two solid-skating forwards and a puck-moving defenseman in the mandatory OT games during the preseason.
While most teams will send out their best offensive weapons, goalies will play a significant role as well. And not just in the crease. Steve Mason is one of the better stickhandling netminders in the league, so the Flyers could try to use him to their advantage.
“Sometimes we might be able to give it back to him and go change or at least keep possession of the puck,” Streit said. “We’re really happy with his stickhandling, not only in OT but overall.”
But the shootout hasn’t been eliminated completely. If a game is still tied after overtime, it’s on to the skills competition.
Also new this year is the coach’s challenge. Hakstol said the Flyers’ coaching staff got a chance to look at the equipment and were given instructions on what to do if they’d like to challenge a play that results in a goal.
A coach can request a challenge only if a suspected offsides play leads to a goal, or if there’s the potential of goaltender interference and the puck crosses the goal line.
The team must have its timeout avaliable in order to ask for a review, however. If the original call stands, the team loses its timeout. If the call is overturned, the team keeps its timeout.
“I think we’d have to have a very clear picture of what the play was in order to challenge something," Hakstol said. “I think the standards will be high.”
There is one aspect of the coach’s challenge that Hakstol admitted he was disappointed in.
“I was hoping they would give us something to throw,” he said. “When you look at history, I don’t think there’s ever been a coach that’s had something good from throwing something [on the ice]. Good decision by the league.”
For more on this season’s rule changes, including expanded video review and faceoff protocol, check out the NHL Public Relations official release.