Is there any merit in extending 3v3 overtime? Bruce Cassidy gives his thoughts

The all-time record for most overtime/shootout losses in a single season is 18 — a mark shared by 2011-12 Panthers, 2013-14 Devils, 2014-15 Flyers and 2008-09 Lightning. 

The 2019-20 Bruins, with 37 regular-season games left on the schedule, are already at 18 OT/SO losses on the year. Most of those woes can be drawn from what transpires after five minutes of 3v3 overtime.

To put it lightly, the Bruins have been flat out brutal in shootout situations this year — posting a record of 0-6 in such scenarios. 

During that stretch, Boston has only beat a goaltender four times on 25 chances. Only three total players have lit the lamp in a shootout for the B’s so far in 2019-20 — Charlie Coyle (2), David Pastrnak and Chris Wagner. 

Much to the Bruins’ delight, shootouts are negated when the calendar flips to the spring and playoff hockey begins. Still, even if the current system in place might prevent ties from muddying up the standings and hurting the overall product of the game — is distributing points by way of a skills competition the best way to go about things?

Such a discussion was brought up in Toronto on Wednesday night, as the Maple Leafs and Jets put together one of the most memorable 3v3 overtime stretches in recent memory. Both clubs traded chances throughout the five minutes of action, combining for nine total scoring chances before the contest was ultimately decided by way of the shootout.



Postgame, both Toronto and Winnipeg gave their thoughts on the pulse-pounding OT sequence, and whether the product on the ice might be improved if 3v3 overtime was extended beyond its five-minute limit.

“3-on-3 is… I can’t use the words that I want to use,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice told Sportsnet. “It’s a free-for-all of fecal matter. It’s a shitshow out there, and that’s great.”

“I’d like to see more overtime, to be honest,” Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen added.

But with those added minutes of OT comes the additional toll on the players — a workload that can certainly add up over the course of a grueling regular-season slate.

"My opinion is, I think five minutes is good,” Patrik Laine said. “For us, we’re playing with three lines. Each is getting like two or three shifts max, so in my opinion, that’s pretty good. It’s a little bit (exhausting). It’s a lot of skating, a lot of room on the ice.”

So where exactly do the Bruins stand on extending 3v3 overtime? Given their shootout struggles, the answer would seem to be obvious, but it’s not so simple.



“Well, it will be taxing for six forwards, probably three of the top-end guys that tend to play the most in overtime,” Bruce Cassidy said. “You’ve got to consider that. The fans are getting to see them longer, but at what expense down the road for these guys? There’s usually not a lot of contact in overtime, 3 on 3, because there’s so much ice and you have a lot of skill out there. I believe it’s a debatable point. I think most hockey people would rather see it solved with some level closer to hockey than a shootout. Shootouts can be good for fans. It can be good for some teams. Not the Bruins. 

“So I could see where they may open it up to discussion. But when does it end? I think they went away from it originally because they didn’t want these extended games where teams are traveling and fatigue does set it. Again, players would probably have to agree to it if anything was going to be changed. I don’t have a strong opinion right now, because I could see both sides of it. Maybe there’s another option? It’s not a shootout, but closer to hockey where it gets settled quicker.”

By extending 3v3 overtime, Matt Grzelcyk noted that it’d seem rather unlikely that any game would end up getting decided by way of a shootout. Still, with all bets off during OT, having to potentially deal with longer stretches of 3v3 play could start to add up when the playoffs eventually come around. 

“It’s fun, for sure,” Grzelcyk told BostonSportsJournal. “I don’t think a ton of games do end up going to shootout anyway. Obviously 3v3 is fun for the fans, probably not too fun for the coaches because I feel like all structure gets thrown out the window and by the end of the game most of it comes down to out-changing your opponent and who’s in better shape by the end. 

“I think there would be almost no shootouts if it was 10 minutes. It might be a little tiring, especially once you get to 3v3 overtime, it’s usually the same as going over and over. It would be a little tough in an 82-game season.”

Chara back on ice 

Zdeno Chara was a late scratch for Thursday’s matchup against the Jets due to issues stemming from his jaw procedure back in December, but the B’s captain doesn’t expect to be out for long. 

Chara was back on the ice for practice on Friday morning, and Cassidy expects him to slot back in the lineup for Boston’s road matchup against the Islanders on Saturday. Had it been up to Chara, he likely would have played against the Jets, even if he’s been dealing with some severe discomfort after what Cassidy tabbed as an abscess formed in his jaw.

“Yeah we talked to him after I left yesterday, a bit about the dangers of playing through what he’s going through,” Cassidy said. “He wants to play every game, that was a decision made higher up that he should take the day off. But he did, begrudgingly. He wants to get back in there tomorrow and I believe he will be.”

Chara, who underwent a follow-up procedure last month to treat an infection stemming from his June surgery from a broken jaw, was missed on Boston’s PK against Winnipeg, with the Jets cashing in on both of their power-play bids off of long-range shots. 

While this flare-up has been a thorn in the side of Chara as of late, the team believes that upcoming All-Star break and bye week should allow the blueliner to completely heal up. 

“I don’t know the ins and outs of every part of it,” Cassidy said of the procedure. “It was a follow-up surgery to last year’s playoff broken jaw. Had some screws, plates, not sure exactly what. There’s a bit of a risk of infection, so they have to go in every once and awhile. So the last time, we thought it may be an infection, there was something else going on in there that was causing a lot of discomfort.”