NHLPA has issues with 3-on-3 overtime

Kevin Allen | USA TODAY Sports

NHL players have reservations about a potential move to use three-on-three play in overtime next season to decrease the number of games decided by shootouts.

"My real concern is that top guys are going to be put in these situations, and there will be more wear and tear on them," NHL Players' Association executive Mathieu Schneider told USA TODAY Sports.

The rules change, to be discussed at the annual general managers meetings in March, has gained traction with GMs because the use of three-on-three this season in the American Hockey League has resulted in 74.8% of overtime games being decided before the shootout. That figure is 45% in the NHL.

GMs discussed the idea at length at their November meetings and wanted more time to study the AHL results and consider the ramifications before formally considering a change.

"It's something that's interesting and that we are watching, but it's certainly not anything we have made any decisions on," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "Part of it is I don't think there is a consensus view that there is a 'problem' with the current format that we need to be solving for."

Schneider, who played 21 seasons, said he is not fully convinced that three-on-three play will translate as well to the NHL game.

"We've seen over the years that rules that are implemented in leagues below and they don't always have the intended effect when we bring them to the NHL because the players are more consistent and more talented," Schneider said. "I'm not sure we would see the same results at the NHL level."

Current NHL rules call for five minutes of four-on-four play and then a shootout if no winner is determined. The new AHL rule calls for three minutes of four-on-four play and a shift to three-on-three at the first whistle after three minutes. The AHL goes to a shootout if there is no winner after seven minutes.

Schneider, a special assistant to NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, said his assumption is the NHL rule change proposal would be to stay at a five-minute overtime because increasing the number of minutes played is a non-starter for players.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, one of the NHL leaders in average ice time, said he had played in a three-on-three situation because of penalties that extended into overtime of a Jan. 19 game against the Calgary Flames. He found it taxing.

"It was tiring, really tiring," Doughty said. "You'd come back on defense and make a play and then it is continuous three-on-two, three-on-two. It's tiring, but I think it would make overtimes finish quicker. With the way our team has been in the shootout (1-7), I think I could go with three-on-three."

Kings-Devils 3-on-3 play in November 2013

For a rule to be changed, it has to be recommended by general managers, and then it goes to the Competition Committee, which consists of players and team officials. Then it goes before the NHL's Board of Governors for final approval.

Since surveys show that fans like the shootout, the NHL isn't looking to eliminate the tiebreaker. The aim of the potential change is to decrease the number of shootouts. The situation is complicated by the fact that coaches usually play conservatively late in the third period of a tie game because they want to ensure that they will get the one point for getting to overtime. That leads to more games getting to overtime.

"Shootouts are cool for fans, but it's a tough way to lose a point," Doughty said.

One offseason change was to have teams switch ends in overtime to create a longer skate to the bench for line changes in hopes that teams would get caught more often on bad changes.

"The same coaches that are protecting their tie game to get to the shootout four-on-four, they are going to do that three-on-three as well," Schneider predicted. "If you are sitting back in the overtime in four-on-four, you can do that three-on-three."

Schneider said NHL players have not formally been polled about three-on-three because it was tabled at the last GM meeting. But Schneider said it was brought up at an NHLPA board meeting and "the room was fairly split."

Schneider has been talking to NHL players who have experience with three-on-three in the AHL.

The AHL results have been dramatic. In 2013-14, only 35.3% of overtime games were decided before the shootout. That means twice as many are being decided in OT under the new format. Of the 122 goals that have been scored in OT in the AHL, 71 have been scored four-on-four and 51 have been scored three-on-three.

If GMs want to proceed with the rule change proposal, Schneider said the players will be canvassed before the rule is considered by the Competition Committee. He would also suggest it be tried next preseason.

"So players get a better feel for it and coaches can kind of see it," Schneider said. "So we can get a handle of what it looks like at the NHL level instead of jumping in with both feet."

That plan was effective in the introduction of hybrid icing, which wasn't fully embraced by players at first.

"To my surprise, guys liked that and that's why we ended up going with it in the regular season," Schneider said.

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