Should the NHL extend overtime, or stay with the quick shootout? Utah Hockey Club players give their take

Dylan Guenther would not be opposed to extending overtime during the NHL’s regular season.

Guenther’s point of view makes sense, though: the Utah Hockey Club forward has scored three goals this season in the five-minute, 3-on-3 extra period — he’s tied for fifth in the league with Sidney Crosby and David Pastrnak.

“I’m trying to score every time I hop over,” Guenther said. “I think if you can get those down and get the other team tired, you’re going to have a good chance to score. If I get a chance in the slot, I’m probably going to shoot it.”

When Guenther’s game-winning heroics don’t pull through and the game stays tied after five minutes, though, NHL rules say that regular-season games head to a shootout to be decided. Each side selects three players to shoot and alternates. The team with the most goals after three rounds earns the extra point in the game.

Shootouts are eliminated during the NHL playoffs. If a game is tied after regulation, another 20-minute, 5-on-5 period ensues with the same sudden-death rule. If no one scores in the first overtime, a second one is played (also 5-on-5 for 20 minutes), and so on.

It is generally considered unfeasible to have that standard the entire year, but the long overtime has the benefit of teams determining their own fate through game action in which every player participates.

There’s no denying the shootout brings more eyes to the sport with the highlight-reel goals. But for some, shootouts are an anti-climactic way to end a contest, as it takes the team aspect out of it.

Utah’s 4-3 shootout loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday displayed both sides of this.

“For me today we didn’t lose. That’s the way I think,” Utah head coach André Tourigny said during Monday’s postgame interview. “We didn’t lose a hockey game. We lost a skills competition. Which has to happen, it’s the reality of our league.”

Clayton Keller’s silky back-handed move showcased his dazzling skill to new fans. But, it wasn’t enough and the Club’s feisty three-goal, second-period comeback — and a handful of chances in overtime — amounted to one point in the standings.

“It’s entertaining, for sure,” Keller said of the shootout. “Maybe it would be better if it was a longer OT — but as a kid, I loved watching the shootouts. Any time there was a shootout I’d throw it on no matter if I missed the full game. I’d take the moves that I saw and I’d do it the next day in practice and do it as much as I could.”

As a kid growing up in Edmonton, Guenther remembers the Oilers’ Linus Omark’s spin-o-rama fake slapshot. But now, as a player, he’d rather have the game decided in overtime.

“I remember when [Omark] did that. Everyone in practice was trying that the next day,” Guenther said. “I actually did really like the shootout growing up, but I think when you’re playing and the emotions are super high it’s tough when you lose in a shootout, because you feel like it’s out of your control at that point.”

Utah has played in 19 overtimes this season and won eight. It has been in four shootouts and won just one.

“I think it’s fun to watch a shootout, too. Maybe a 10-minute OT, I don’t know. It’s tough,” defenseman Michael Kesselring said. “Both of them are kind of skills competitions. But we could win them, too, and then I would be feeling a little bit different.”

The NHL changed the overtime rules for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Other than the championship game, the best-on-best, international tournament had a 10-minute, 3-on-3 overtime instead of five minutes that would be followed by a shootout.

“I honestly think like 90% of the time somebody is scoring in 10 minutes,” Guenther said.

Olli Määttä was a member of Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off and beat Sweden 4-3 in the extended overtime on Feb. 15. Because of the extra time on the clock to make a game-winning play, a shootout was not needed.

Would it hinder the players’ long-term stamina, though, if that was the reality of all NHL regular-season games?

“Maybe games go long if you go 10 minutes 3-on-3,” Määttä said. “It’s a good question — I’m sure the NHL is thinking about it, too. Trying to find ways to make the games better. I think, at least, it’s pretty entertaining.”

As a defenseman, Määttä has to watch from the bench during shootouts as — typically — the forwards are called upon to try to get one past the opponent’s netminder. He admittedly enjoys the setup at times.

“You can never really relax, but you kind of can,” Määttä said. “You just try to get the guys going and sometimes just enjoy the skill that is out there. Looking at these guys doing the moves and how they stick handle the puck and do their thing — it’s pretty impressive. Sometimes you’re almost in awe, just want to see it happen.”

“We’re the team that has the most overtimes in the league. I don’t think there’s a coach in the world that likes the shootout. Having that said, I think at some point I understand the rules in the NHL, I understand the mindset, I understand the media, I understand the show, I understand all of it,” Tourigny said.

“It has to finish at some point. Tomorrow is coming. We need to get at it.”

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