Sunday Overreactions: Stagnant 3-on-3 OT must be changed

If you enjoy circling back, slow methodical hockey and even the occasional pass back to a goalie, 3-on-3 overtime could be for you.

It seems like every night a handful of games are going past 60 minutes, but the extra session isn’t what it once was. Conservative play has taken over, and teams are content maintaining possession for as long as it takes to get a quality look. The Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues played an overtime game earlier this week that was punctuated by an incredible game-winner from William Nylander, but prior to that, boos rained down from the crowd as the Blues circled back to their own end several times. Fans seem to be getting more displeased about how much different overtime looks from the first 60 minutes.

Overtime format needs a refresh

There are times when a 3-on-3 session can be exciting, but those are becoming few and far between. What we often see now is so much tentativeness in overtime because one simple mistake usually leads to an odd-man rush and a goal the other way. Teams are scared to shoot unless they have a clear lane at the net, players don’t want to make a pass if there’s even a slight chance it won’t connect, and if a rush looks like it might get thwarted, they’ll simply go backwards and regroup. Not exactly the most exciting brand of hockey to say the least, and it could be time to look at changing the format to make it more entertaining.

There are a few things I think the NHL could do to improve the product, and one doesn’t even start in overtime. The first would be to hand out three points for a regulation win, which may make some teams more motivated to end things beforehand and ultimately create fewer overtime games. When there are only a few minutes left, especially in a non-conference clash, you can see how content both teams are to grab their point and let the chips fall where they may for the bonus point.

The other thing I would like to see happen is an over-and-back rule, similar to what the NBA does. Once a team carries the puck over centre, they wouldn’t be allowed to bring it back past the red line. If they did, it would result in a turnover and change of possession and the puck would be given to the other team. This would at least force teams to continue in the attacking zone and limit regrouping, leading to more of what resembles actual hockey.

Finally, there could be an opportunity to introduce a shot clock, too. Maybe once you cross centre, you have a certain amount of time to get a shot off or it results in a change of possession. That would create a lot of urgency and action. I can see some people arguing that these potential rule changes would detract from the tradition of the game, but what we’re watching now typically isn’t anything that a hockey purist would enjoy anyway. If it’s already a departure from the standard way the game is played, why not lean into it and make overtime more interesting?

It was a tough Friday for the Winnipeg Jets. Reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck will miss the next four to six weeks with a knee issue, putting Winnipeg in a difficult spot. There is obvious reason for concern when you lose your best player for a substantial amount of time, and the Jets haven’t been as typically stingy as they usually are. The Jets rank 23rd in shots allowed per game and 19th in high-danger chances against. Hellebuyck compensates for a lot of this, so backup Eric Comrie is going to have his hands full to pick up the slack. Winnipeg could be in trouble for the next month and a half.

I still think the Jets have enough talent to at least stay afloat while Hellebuyck is out. Comrie has also been really strong when he’s been called upon this season, posting a 4-2-0 record with four quality starts in six games. He also has 1.9 goals saved above expected. Getting Dylan Samberg back recently shouldn’t hurt either. Samberg has emerged as one of the better shutdown defenders in the league.

Plus, even though they haven’t been as stellar defensively as they usually are, Winnipeg’s special teams have been great. They rank sixth in power-play and seventh in penalty-kill percentage. That can carry a team a long way. The Jets’ schedule also isn’t a complete gauntlet. They will enjoy a four-game stretch later this month and into December where they’ll play Nashville and Buffalo twice, and then just before the holidays, they get St. Louis. Winnipeg is in a decent enough position that if they can just play .500 hockey or slightly above with Hellebuyck sidelined, they’ll still be in decent enough shape when he returns.

Islanders-Stars is the most anticipated rematch this season

Who knew two out-of-conference opponents with little to no history between each other would create so much intrigue?

After Tuesday night’s clash between the New York Islanders and Dallas Stars, many have now circled March 26 on their calendars when the two teams will play again. That’s because the game had a little bit of everything in the final minute. Stars forward Mikko Rantanen was ejected for boarding Isles defender Alexander Romanov, and New York head coach Patrick Roy was livid about the play and went on an old-fashioned rant about how dangerous it was. To top it off, the Stars scored with 0.1 seconds remaining, but the goal was called off for goaltender interference. We’ll have to wait four months for a rematch and to see how the Isles respond to Rantanen’s hit, but it’s hard to see another return affair creating this much anticipation.

While I do think the next game between these teams could have some drama, I think there are other contenders for the best rematch. We just watched the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings have a big melee after the final horn involving nearly their entire teams, where it felt like there was still more to settle. Then there’s the Edmonton Oilers, who lost 9-1 to Colorado, as it appeared the Avalanche were pushing for a 10th goal late in the game. Edmonton and Connor McDavid may have something to say about that the next time they meet. And of course, you can’t go wrong with any matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers right now.

Do we really see an Islanders player trying to fight Rantanen four months from now for this hit? Possibly. But something tells me, given how infrequently these teams play, the level of hatred won’t be as high as some of these other matchups.

Rumours of the Wild’s demise were greatly exaggerated.

After a dismal start that saw Minnesota plummet down the standings, the team has righted the ship and won eight of its past 10 games. A big catalyst for the turnaround has been between the pipes, as Jesper Wallstedt is delivering in a big way with a 5-0-2 record this season and a .926 save percentage. He also has a pair of shutouts and has now started four of the past seven games after Filip Gustavsson played eight of nine. The Wild are suddenly back in a playoff spot, and any talk of major changes to the roster or coaching staff has quelled. Given how well Wallstedt has played, there’s a good argument to be made that he deserves the bulk of the starts.

Wallstedt only has 12 career games under his belt compared to Gustavsson’s 183, but he’s simply been better than the veteran up to this point. Considering how bleak things looked for the Wild earlier in the season, they need to be more focused on winning games than ruffling Gustavsson’s feathers. Goaltending can be fickle, and things could always swing back in Gustavsson’s favour, but right now it should be Wallstedt’s net until he gives Minnesota a reason not to start him.

Sergei Bobrovsky is quickly vaulting up the all-time wins list for goaltenders, passing Jacques Plante this week to move into ninth. There’s also an excellent chance that before this season concludes, Bobrovsky will overtake Terry Sawchuk, Curtis Joseph and Henrik Lundqvist as well. If he plays another season or two, Ed Belfour and Roberto Luongo could be in reach, too. That would put him fourth all-time and add in a couple of Vezina’s and a pair of Stanley Cups, plus another trip to the Finals and Bobrovsky could have a case as a top-five goalie all time.

He’s very close, but I don’t think I’d put him there right now. Bobrovsky had the benefit of the shootout during his entire career, which means he never had any ties and currently has 36 shootout wins. Goaltenders of a different era, like Sawchuk, Plante or Ken Dryden, had a bunch of ties that could’ve been wins had there been a shootout.

Bobrovsky’s 51 shutouts also put him at only 30th all-time, behind the likes of Jaroslav Halak and Evgeni Nabokov. He’s also more than 50 shutouts back of Sawchuk and Martin Brodeur. Based on this, I would have a hard time putting him ahead of any of Sawchuk, Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, Plante, Tony Esposito and a few others. There’s a great argument for putting Bobrovsky in the top 10, but for me, he’s still outside the top five.

The Anaheim Ducks have been a great story this season and they appear to be a team on the rise, but it’s all happening with little impact from Frank Vatrano. The Ducks forward has just two goals and three points in 22 games, well below his standards. He’s also spent extensive time in the bottom six this season, which includes a lengthy stay on the fourth line. Not only that, he’s currently averaging 12:11 of ice time per game, putting him at more than five minutes less a night than he was playing last season. Vatrano signed a three-year extension with the Ducks less than a year ago, but it doesn’t feel like new head coach Joel Quenneville is a fan of his game. There’s a good player in there somewhere, which could mean there’s an opportunity for a team to buy low if Anaheim wants to move off of his contract.

If I’m a contending team with eyes on the playoffs, I’m definitely making a call to the Ducks about Vatrano. This is a player who’s averaged 27 goals over the past three seasons and scored 37 just two years ago. He’s also only 31 and in his last playoff appearance, Vatrano notched five goals and 13 points in 20 contests for the New York Rangers during the 2022 post-season. Vatrano also has a physical side to his game, recording more than 155 hits in each of the past two campaigns.

The veteran doesn’t have an unreasonable contract either. Vatrano has a $4.5-million cap hit for the next two seasons beyond this one, which shouldn’t be difficult for a team to absorb with a rising cap. He can play up and down the lineup, whether that’s in your top six to provide offence or be a physical presence on a third line. Vatrano feels like he may just need a change of scenery and could make a huge impact for a contending team.