What NHL players are saying about extending length of 3-on-3 overtime
Would the NHL consider bringing the extended-OT idea over from 4 Nations to regular-season play? We asked the players to get their thoughts.
At the 4 Nations Face-Off last month, the NHL introduced one particularly interesting rule change that we saw the benefit from immediately.
The 3-on-3 overtime, usually a five-minute period in the regular season before deciding the game in a shootout, was extended to a 10-minute period for the round-robin portion of the tournament. The first game, between Canada and Sweden, went to extra time and Mitch Marner’s winner came a little over six minutes into the frame. Under normal NHL circumstances, that game would have been decided in the much-less-thrilling shootout.
This had us wondering: would the NHL consider bringing this idea over to regular-season play? If not a 10-minute OT period, what about seven or eight minutes?
Alas, that change is not coming for now, and wasn’t much of a talking point at the recent GM meetings in Florida.
“I’m not a fan of the extended overtime because of ice conditions and the wear and tear on the players who would be playing the additional five minutes,” commissioner Gary Bettman said.
-
-
NHL on Sportsnet
Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.
There were concerns that extended OT might put more pressure and ice time on the stars who are already leaned on in 3-on-3 action instead of opening up the opportunity to others. There’s also the prospect of game lengths being extended just enough that it was a turn off for the league.
The idea of extending 3-on-3 overtime is not a new one, but resurfaced back into the conversation after seeing it used in a tournament run by the NHL. We’ve asked players about their thoughts on the topic a few times over the years.
“I think extending it would be good. I like 3-on-3. I don’t think it would take too long (to score a winning goal) after five minutes,” said former San Jose Shark Patrick Marleau in 2020.
Of course, it all depends on your perspective.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6368757914112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6368757914112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6368757914112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-745448" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6368757914112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/6368757914112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/marner-rips-home-ot-winner-as-canada-beats-sweden-in-4-nations-opener/" }); });
“I would go to shootout right away, right after the game. No overtime. It will save us some time and (goalies) goals against,” Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy said with a laugh in 2023. “When they play 3-on-3, it could be 2-on-1, odd-man rush, 3-on-2, 3-on-0; when you’re just 1-on-1 with a player, it’s (more fair).”
Connor McDavid, who would likely be charged with even more ice time in an extended OT period, said in 2023 that the shootout was a “crappy way to finish the game,” while acknowledging that players’ health and safety was worth considering.
Following McDavid’s comments, Sidney Crosby told Pittsburgh Hockey Now he’d actually play with ties. “It’s not great, but with a 10-minute 3-on-3, I’d like to think that (somebody would usually win in that span).”
So, where are we at today with player outlook on extending 3-on-3, now that we’ve seen it in action? The novelty of the shootout has worn off, but fewer games are making it that far these days. In 32 Thoughts last week, Elliotte Friedman pointed out that 74 per cent of all OT games this season have been decided before the shootout, which is the highest number ever.
We asked various players around the NHL over recent weeks:
What do you think about extending the length of the 3-on-3 overtime period in the regular season?
“You’d have to ask the players. For the goalies, it’s nothing crazy. I like it. It’s more fun, overtime, and there’ve been games where we’ve had great overtimes and it sucks when they end. You’d have to ask the top players who’d be playing extra minutes. But I vote yes on it. I think it’s great.” — Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger
“Oh, I think we could just go straight to a shootout. I don’t personally care. I think some guys have a preference, but I think five minutes is enough. Especially the amount of great players that are out there, I think we should get an ending to a game in five minutes with all the guys on the ice. But it doesn’t really matter to me.” — Montreal winger Patrik Laine
“I don’t know if I love that. As a guy that plays in overtime throughout the course of 82 games, I think that sounds very exhausting. We’ll take the shootout.” — Calgary centre Nazem Kadri
“I wouldn’t mind it. Ten minutes. Maybe then more players could play, too. I’d like it. The shootout is kinda … (makes an unimpressed face). Yeah, I think it would be more fun to finish it 3-on-3.” — Calgary winger Jonathan Huberdeau
“It was good (at the 4 Nations). Obviously, shootouts can be a lot of fun. But I think when there’s so many talented guys, skilled guys, playing 3-on-3 hockey, I think it’s probably one of the best things to watch, like, how much skills are on the ice. There’s a lot of regular-season games, and then on top of it, if you just keep adding longer and longer overtimes, I don’t know how guys would take that. So, I don’t know. I’m fine with how it is right now.” — Florida centre Aleksander Barkov
“You want to see the game end in overtime. I don’t think anyone wants to see a shootout, really. So, 10 minutes just gives it a little bit longer a chance to get it done. I wouldn’t mind it, yeah. You play a little bit more hockey. There’s pros and cons to it, I guess. You could argue that if you’re playing 70-minute games throughout the year, maybe it’s too much. But I’d like to see it end in overtime. I’m sure a lot of people would like to see that.” — Boston defenceman Charlie McAvoy
“I think it’s something to look at, for sure. I think the shootout, especially in a tournament like (4 Nations), you don’t want to see a game go to the shootout. 3-on-3 was so exciting. There’s so much back and forth. So, I think it’s definitely something to look at.” — Toronto centre Auston Matthews
-
-
Real Kyper and Bourne
Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne talk all things hockey with some of the biggest names in the game. Watch live every weekday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ — or listen live on Sportsnet 590 The FAN — from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
“Yeah, it could be a little bit more bouncy, depending on the ice. Sometimes it’s smooth, depending on how the game was played. But it usually comes after a full period that’s very intense, and then you play another five minutes and it’s really choppy. So, I don’t know about the quality if it’s more bouncy. Maybe it’s a good thing because there will be more (scoring) chances if the puck is bouncing over sticks.” — Vancouver centre Pius Suter
“I think it would be great. Sometimes in overtime … it goes the distance and they end up going to a shootout, but you wish you could keep going. It’s back-and-forth, I think really entertaining for everyone. It just opens up the ice. There’s guys with crazy skill that can showcase that in overtime, where it’s harder to do that 5-on-5.” — Vancouver winger Brock Boeser
“I think that shootouts did what they were supposed to do when they first came into the league. Obviously, it made it very exciting. I actually like the shootouts; I’ve gone in them pretty much my whole career. It kind of gives you another chance to help your team win. I always find it funny, though, how you play 3-on-3 and when the playoffs come around, it’s 5-on-5.” — Vancouver winger Jake DeBrusk
“Yeah, I think it’d be awesome. I feel like when they initially changed it, it made the game that much more exciting, just so much more time and space. And you see all the amazing players on the ice just flying around. So, yeah, I love that idea.
“I mean, maybe (period length could be an issue) a little bit, I feel like you’re skating more, but it’s not very physical. Obviously, 3-on-3, there’s no, like, big hits or anything like that. So yeah, I feel like it’s just, it’s different from guy to guy. But personally, I think the 3-on-3 is awesome, but if you go longer, that’s great.” — Ottawa defenceman Jake Sanderson
“Yeah, I think I’d be all for that. I think no one really wants to see a game end in a shootout. So, I mean, it’s usually not going to take that long to score a goal in overtime. So, I can get behind that.
“If you’re double-shifting the whole overtime for 10 minutes, you’d definitely be tired. I think that you’d have to mix more guys in, which would make it more interesting.” — Ottawa centre Dylan Cozens
“I think it’d be awesome. I mean, shootouts, people don’t understand. They’re pretty tough, actually. I mean, like the boys are so good now. Overtime is the funnest thing to watch. There’s so much buzz, there’s so many chances either way. So no, I wouldn’t mind if we went (to) seven or eight minutes. I think it’d be great. And, like I said, great for the fans.” — Ottawa winger Drake Batherson
“I would try to play with other rules before stretching it. … I think the way it is right now is just fine. It’s entertaining. Could they try stuff to be less one team possessing, to create more scoring chances, to create more urgency?
“(Not regrouping past the red line) could be one. There’s other ideas. A shot clock? It’s hard for a player in hockey — the clock. It’s not like basketball, where you see the clock. In hockey, it’s so dynamic. You’re looking for the clock and you could get hit. I don’t know if that’s doable.
“But I think they can try stuff, but I still like where the game is now. It’s entertaining. I think maybe it would be nice to have more of those chances and stuff and then the game would be done in two minutes, so you don’t need the seven. I would do that, but even if they don’t do anything, I think it’s in a good place.” — Montreal head coach and former player Martin St. Louis
With files from Luke Fox, Iain MacIntyre, Eric Engels and Alex Adams.
