The NHL’s newly instituted 3-on-3 overtime has received mixed reactions, but it has a fan in Chicago’s Patrick Kane.
Speaking in Nashville prior to the NHL All-Star game – which will use a 3-on-3 format for the first time – Kane told SportsNet Canada that the new overtime rules are one of the best things the NHL has done.
“It’s definitely fun,” said Kane, whose dynamic skill set makes him dangerous in open-ice competition. “I think it’s one of the best things the NHL has done in a long time. It’s a great aspect to the game.”
Kane said he enjoys the 3-on-3 format so much that he’ll click on the TV anytime another game goes into OT during a Blackhawks off-night.
And what’s not to like? Chicago’s eight overtime wins this season are tied for the most in the NHL.
The new rules are also doing what the NHL intended them to do: decrease the number of games decided by shootout.
According to ESPN, 171 games have required overtime so far this season, and 109 of them – or nearly 64 percent – have been decided prior to a shootout. That’s up from 45 percent at the same point last season, according to the report.
As Kane points out, the All-Star never reaches the level of intensity seen in a regular season game, but even still, it should be a thrill to watch the best players in the world compete with that much time and space on Sunday.
Click here to see the complete Patrick Kane interview:
