The 4 Nations Face-Off has gotten off to a roaring start, to say the least, after Team Canada’s electric 4-3 OT win over Sweden on Wednesday night.
The tournament is largely viewed as a test run for the upcoming 2028 World Cup of Hockey, where NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, hopes to have a minimum of 8 teams in play.
But the format of the tournament from a participation standpoint isn’t the only thing being tested at this unique tournament, as the NHL decided to tweak its overtime and shootout template for this event as well.
Mitch Marner was able to score the winning goal for Team Canada at the 6:06 mark in the extra frame, after he grabbed a pass from Sidney Crosby in the neutral zone, stormed down the middle and wired a laser passed Sweden’s Filip Gustavsson.
That isn’t something you’d ever see in the NHL, as overtime is capped to 5 minutes before having games decided in a shootout, during the regular season. It’s a bit of a test run by the NHL, and the players had a lot to say about it after their first taste of it.
A Successful Trial Run
One of the more enthusiastic supporters of extended 3v3 hockey was unsurprisingly the game’s most electric player, Connor McDavid, who was flying all over the ice with tons of space to move around.
For the Oilers’ number 97, the extension of the OT format allowed the players to keep the agency of winning the game in a hockey-play scenario, rather than the skills competition that is the shootout.
“I think it's a great kind of trial run,” McDavid said about the extended OT format. “Something I think the players liked, the fans liked it. It felt a little more like it's in our hands.”
The former Art Ross trophy-winner believed that it was better for the overall product of hockey to allow the players to end the games on their own terms, as it added to the excitement of the event and the importance of the game.
“I don't think really anyone wants it to go to a shootout, so good thing we were able to find one there,” he added.
Judging by the reaction of the Bell Centre crowd, it’s hard to argue against that.
More Discussions to be Had
Although there is a lot of excitement around the idea of moving away from the shootout, the concept of playing an additional 10 minutes of 3v3, after a grueling 60 minutes of regulation play, isn’t unanimously appreciated among players just yet.
Speaking to RG, Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon immediately shot down the idea of seeing the NHL move from 5 minutes to 10 minutes of OT during the regular season moving forward.
“No (laughs). We we're actually just talking about it in the room. Maybe 7 [minutes]? I usually feel better than that normally,” said MacKinnon. “I was just an adrenaline dump, I think.”
That speaks volumes coming from one of the most well-conditioned athletes in the sport of hockey. Although MacKinnon shared the sentiment that the shootout is a waste, he opted for a bit of a compromise, seeking an increase to 7 minutes at the most, citing how exhausted he was.
Imagine being so tired that you don’t pass the puck to Connor McDavid on a 2-on-1? MacKinnon may have a point here, but as he put it, the adrenaline felt by Team Canada from the pre-game ceremony to the end of OT may have taxed him more than usual.
It may not be a done deal just yet, but the fact that the league and its players are having these conversations shows that there is appetite to continue to make the game more exciting moving forward.
Marco D'Amico is a beat reporter covering the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft, while also being a recurring guest on TSN690 and BPM Sports. His work primarily on NHL CBA breakdowns and prospect analysis, all while covering the Montreal Canadiens on a day-to-day basis.
