Does the NHL need OT changes?

The Philadelphia Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals. Sure they probably have little chance of winning, as they are currently down 2-0 in the series, but that’s besides the point. The Flyers weren’t even guaranteed a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. In game number 82 they defeated the New York Rangers in a shootout (!) to sneak into the playoffs and grab the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Now they are one of just two teams playing for the right to win the Stanley Cup.

The NHL brought back the shootout after the lockout as a way of raising the level of entertainment for its fans. Never mind the fact that it is completely different than traditional hockey, or that the NHL awards the same number of points for a shootout win as it does for a regulation win, or that the shootout is not a welcome addition during the playoffs. The NHL likes the shootout. It’s quick, easy, and most of the casual fans seemed to like it enough.

However, it does seem that this year there is more chatter about whether the shootout should go, or at least if there should be a tweak to the overtime/shootout rules. One of the more respected general managers in the NHL, Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings, has recently voiced his desire for some sort of change. Holland is in Philadelphia for the GM meetings and says he will push for some changes to the rules:

I’d like to see more games decided in overtime than shoot-out. I don’t mind the shoot-out, I just don’t want the shoot-out to decide so many games. My suggestion is, extend OT from five minutes to eight minutes or from five minutes to 10 minutes. Then maybe do we go half of it four-on-four, half of it three-on-three? I just want to have a conversation to see if other people feel like I do.

I completely agree with Holland here. The less of the shootout we see, the better things will be. I like the idea of a 10 minute 4 on 4 OT before heading to the shootout. Also if you are going to keep the shootout, you need to revamp the points system completely. A shootout win cannot be worth the same as a regulation win. That’s ridiculous. How about the Olympic point system? Three for a regulation win, 2 for an OT win, 1 for an OT loss. That works for me.

Will the OT system actually be changed? I doubt it will happen right away since these are the first talks I have heard of the NHL having about this issue. But give it time and I think the NHL could come up with a better solution to OT situation. Hopefully Holland will get the ball rolling in the right direction.