Winnipeg Jets Flight Plan

WinniPeg Free Press Thursday, OcTOber 8, 2015 WINNIPEG JETs Flight plan 3 stripped down ot sure to excite If the assessment of Jets' coach Paul Maurice turns out to be true, fans at the MTS Centre may want to hold on tight to their seats when games head into overtime this season. "It's going to be wild, unpredictable and real exciting for a fan," Maurice said of the new rule that will see teams play three-on-three in OT. "It will be as exciting as hell." In a move aiming to resolve more games in the extra period, instead of during the shootout, NHL general managers voted last March to institute three-on-three play. It's the latest move in the evolution of tie-breaking during the NHL regular season. At the onset of the 1999-2000 season, in an effort to eliminate ties and add excitement to the game, the NHL introduced four-on-four overtime. It's a move that never generated the excitement that NHL executives hoped it would. Instead of generating on-the-edge-of-your-seat drama, the five-minute period instead took on the aura of a boxing match, where two fighters would tentatively feel each other out before the fireworks began. Problem was, fireworks rarely happened. Instead, the two teams would plod through the extra frame in the knowledge that were a goal not scored, the game would be decided by a thrilling (or was that anti-climactic?) shootout — an innovation introduced in 2005-06, including a point for the losing team in the shootout. The move to three-on-three OT was predicated on data derived from experimenting with the format at the American Hockey League (AHL) level. According to AHL findings, about 76 per cent of games ended in ties during both the 2013-14 and 2014- 15 seasons. In 2013-14, 15.6 per cent of games that went to four-on-four overtime ended in a tie. Last year — after the introduction of an overtime format that went four-on-four until the first whistle after the three-minute mark, and then three-on- three thereafter — only 5.7 per cent of games went to a shootout. Manitoba Moose head coach Keith McCambridge — whose teams participated in 25 three-on-three games last year — said he's in favour of the new format. "I'd rather win or lose the game three-on-three than lose it in a shootout," he said. "It's a format that's exciting for both the fans, and players." Not to mention a format that involves more strategy than you might think at first blush. "Aspects of the game, like line changes, are real important," said McCambridge. "If you don't chip the puck in just the right, you can lose possession and end up back in your own zone defending in a hurry. Shot selection on the rush also has to be good. Shots have to be on the net. If they aren't, chances are good the other team will be going back the other way on an odd-man rush." Thus far in the NHL pre-season, results have been mixed, with players clearly needing a bit of time to adapt to the new, more wide-open overtime period. That said, one thing is for certain: most players seem to prefer the idea of three-on-three overtime to shootouts. "There's going to be a lot of scoring chances," said Jets' goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. "One mistake and then it's an odd-man rush — it's good for the fans, I think it's exciting. I don't know if it's exciting for players, but it's definitely better than a shootout." Captain Andrew Ladd agreed that fans will enjoy the new format. "It's definitely entertaining for fans watching. I think it's something for us as players to get used to. The impact of a turnover or missed shot is dramatically changed with three-on-three overtime, and we'll maybe do some different things like maybe using the goalie a little more. We'll also have to figure out line changes. At camp, the first issue we had when we tried it was the tendency to go to the wrong bench right off the hop, so you have to get used to that." Forward Mark Scheifele added that adapting to three-on-three OT should prove interesting. "You can learn a lot of things from it, it's like a control where you want to have the puck on your stick for the most amount of time, and you're trying not to waste any chances," he said. "It's definitely something interesting that we've got to get used to." For his part, star winger Blake Wheeler said he can't wait to take part in it — at least most of the time. "It's going to be an interesting dynamic; I think it's a great wrinkle. Maybe in game 41 with back-to-back games on the road, it might not be such a great wrinkle, but it's great for the fans. Any time you put each team's best players on the ice and eliminate two players a side, you're going to create a lot of scoring chances. It's going to be a lot of fun — I know I'm jacked up for it." ❚ By Todd Lewys for the Free Press "it will be as exciting as hell." Jets forward Mathieu Perreault celebrates a game-winning goal in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers last season. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Jets Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little (right) celebrate LIttle's game-winning overtime goal against the Colorado Avalanche last season. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

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