The NHL Redux: 3-on-3 must evolve to avoid the shootout's fate

The thrill was real then, too.

In 2005-06, when the NHL introduced its revised rulebook, Jussi Jokinen had fans of the Dallas Stars more than satisfied with overtime solving zip.

The shootout was novel and spectacular theater. And Jokinen, an unknown in his own right, was exploiting the new wrinkle with an inventive, ingenious read-option strategy the rest of the league was unprepared to combat.

His deception was devastating, and it all predicated on mimicking previous movement. He strode over the blue line the same until reaching the point of attack, where, based on the information acquired, he would either fire it low and left, or feign his release before pulling the puck back across the goal mouth and tucking it around the goalie's pad.

"The goalies didn't know me that well," Jokinen told theScore before the season, "(they) weren't spending as much time watching the shootouts."

He scored on his first nine attempts in the pseudo skills competition, an area of expertise polished in his native Finland. Dallas earned two points with each goal he scored, and even another pair when Jokinen's 10th attempt in late March veered wide of Vesa Toskala.

It's been a decade since his rousing streak, and the solitary skill that made a lesser-used rookie relevant in a season that boasted one of the greatest freshman classes ever, seems to have run its course as well.

Three-on-three overtime - the latest ploy to determine event outcomes in more effective, pure fashion - is sizzling like the shootout did in Dallas. It's provided players of Jokinen's likeness with a platform to make a name for themselves, but most importantly, it's determining winners - all across the league - much more often than not.

Its success has some fans dreading a late go-ahead goal in anticipation of five minutes at full throttle, and rendered the shootout, hanging on as the final recourse to break a deadlock, as reason to flip to another tied game.

But what's to say it won't fizzle?

Intense study and scrutinization of the game ultimately determines who wins championships, but it tends to zap the life from it, too.

And as Jokinen would tell it, the shootout was no different.

"It's much different, the last couple of years," he said. "Every goalie, every shooter is doing much more preparation. Shooters watch the goalies - how they (makes saves) in the shootout, what their tendencies are. Goalies are watching much more video than five, 10 years ago.

"It's getting harder and harder to score in the shootout, especially if you've been in the league many years. Every goalie knows your moves."

The new overtime is rampant, uncaged action and entertainment. Instant exhilaration. But with more reps will come similarly deep understanding of the process, and the defensive strategies that dominate other aspects will seep into the new-look final frame.

In fact, numbers suggest it might have already. The last 148 games have yielded 13 shootouts, or the same amount contested through the season's first 210 games.

Even with this incremental uptick, the league will be delirious with so few shootouts. But a deeper dive is revealing a problem beyond more structure and tighter checking - though it has nothing to do with 3-on-3 itself.

Nine of the last 13 overtime periods that failed to produce a winner have had minor penalties disrupt play and force additional skaters onto the ice.

(This includes perhaps the latest great shootout between the Islanders and Panthers - the result of nearly four minutes of 4-on-4 after a late penalty in regulation. It dripped of irony, as the shootout saw nine straight conversions before a miss with Jokinen - now with Florida - watching it all unfold from the bench.)

The new overtime format has passed the smell test, but it ain't perfect. And the league would be wise to recognize a seeding problem and explore solutions (whether it's one-minute minors or 3-on-2) to prevent penalties from derailing overtime's flow and fun.

Or risk having a coach deduce in film that taking one "could get us to the shootout."

THE TEN

10. Roberto Luongo: The Panthers' netminder moved into eighth place on the all-time wins list in perfect Luongo-like, self-deprecating fashion. He made one save on five shootouts attempts and, as he does, headed right for meme generator.

9. Pavel Datsyuk: The Magic Man achieved another milestone this week, scoring his 300th career goal. He was thrilled.

8. Connor Hellebuyck: It wasn't the most impressive NHL goaltending debut this week, but it was the most anticipated. And still impressive.

7. Braden Holtby: Three wins pushed his personal win streak to a career-best seven games, his league-leading total to 15, and the Capitals' to five.

6. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry: The Ducks' stars combined for 12 points, seven on the power play, in four games.

5. Boston Bruins: About that doom and gloom in Beantown. The Bruins are winners of five in a row.

4. Alex Galchenyuk: Galchenyuk has provided a scoring pop at the perfect moment, achieving a five-game point streak in the absence of Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price.

3. Evgeni Malkin: This was delightful.

2. Garret Sparks: Laughing and crying, all in the same night.

1. Patrick Kane: 19 and counting, Kane has the longest point streak ever by an American.

THE TAKES

1. Edmonton's tolerance for failure is shameful.

The immediate response to Connor McDavid's injury was encouraging. But as things continued to not go their way despite real effort, the Oilers have once again resorted to sulking.

2. So why has Todd McLellan been absolved of criticism?

Do the Oilers not have more talent than the Maple Leafs?

3. Brandon Dubinsky has gotten his money's worth.

For the amount of exasperation he's caused Sidney Crosby over his career, one game's worth of suspensions is quite a conquest.

4. Derek Stepan needs to protect himself ...

... but that was mighty dirty from Matt Beleskey.

5. If Kane's 19-game point streak is the greatest in American history ...

... Mats Zuccarello's 11-game ride has to live forever in Norwegian sports lore, no?

6. What's become of you, Lightning?

7. Where would the Flyers be without Michal Neuvirth?

8. Price's injury still isn't the end of the world.

Yes, even at another six weeks.

9. Peak Yakupov.

10. Peak Colaiacovo.