By Tom Mitsos –

TRAVERSE CITY — Shootouts were not kind to the Detroit Red Wings last year. They lost nine out of a possible 14 shootouts, tied for third worst in the NHL.

However, with the new overtime rule the NHL enacted earlier this month, the Red Wings are hoping to end more games in overtime and avoid the shootout altogether.

The Red Wings scrimmaged with the new overtime rules during the first day of training camp Friday at Centre ICE Arena. The action was a lot more fast and furious than it has been under the old rule.

Should a game go into overtime, the two teams will change sides as they would to start the second period. That means changing on the fly will be more difficult, as each team’s respective bench will be near the offensive zone rather than the defensive zone like in the first and third periods.

Captain Henrik Zetterberg believes this new rule will help games end in overtime.

“Obviously, a lot of the games will not go to shootouts, I think, if you have that four-on-four and the long change,” he said. “You will get caught out there, and you will end up in your end. Four-on-Four, there is so much more room to have the puck, and the other team will probably will get an opportunity to score goals.”

In addition to changing sides, there will be a dry scrape of the ice surface prior to the overtime period. Before, there was only a scrape if the game went to a shootout.

Stephen Weiss is excited for the new overtime rule and thinks it will benefit the club.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s a tough change when you’re tired. So, if guys get caught out there for a long shift, it’s definitely going to produce more scoring chances and more goals. … I hope games end more in overtime.

Weiss went on to add that struggling in shootouts might have been the reason the Red Wings had a tougher matchup in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

“Because of the shootouts, we had a tough time with them last year,” he said, “and it might have saved us playing Boston in the first round if we could have done a little bit better in the shootouts. So, if we can end more games in overtime, it will only help us out.”

According to NHL.com, 36 percent of all goals have been scored in the second period since 2005-06, as opposed to 30 percent in the first and 34 percent in the third. The United States Hockey League made the overtime change last season and noticed a 10-percent increase in games that ended in overtime rather than a shootout.