The National Hockey League’s adoption of the 3-on-3 overtime format in the summer of 2015 was well-received, and in the following years the altered extra frame satisfied the league’s dual mandate of reducing the number of regular-season games ended by a shootout while providing a more entertaining product.
The concept of the five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime was simple: pulling skaters off the ice would force an up-tempo type of hockey, one that would see flurries of scoring chances at both ends of the ice.
The format hasn’t been flawless; I’ve long argued that to dramatically reduce the number of games decided by shootout, the 3-on-3 format necessitates about 10 minutes of game time.
In recent months there has been increasing…