NHL Overtime Issue

[a7xoff]

So I was watching the Devils/Predators game that ended in a shootout with the Predators coming out on top. My issue is the shootout. I know everyone talks about if it's a good idea or not, but Chico Resch mentioned his idea for OT and I like it a lot. He said have the 4 on 4 period. Then a 3 on 3 period. Then if needed a shootout to determine the winner. I personally love the 4 on 4 OT period and think it opens the ice a lot more. 3 on 3 would be crazy, but at the same time it's pretty awesome as one mistake could really spell the end for a team. I like the shootout, but at the same time I don't. Reason being is that there are goalies in the league who are by no means at their best in one on one situations and there are a lot of offensive guys who do very well in one on one situations. I mean you get a guy like Parise, Crosby, Malkin, or Ovechkin on a breakaway in regulation and your expecting something to happen, but in a shootout it seems even easier for them to fool the goalie. I just don't like the fact that at the end of the game it comes down to possibly one guy getting the team a win when for over 60 minutes of play time, it's a team effort. I like Chico's idea for the NHL overtime, but for now we have what we have. That being said would anyone else change the NHL's style of OT?

 

[NSL]

Cal me a purist, but I want it to go back to a 20 minute 5-on-5 period, and that's it. If no one wins, no one wins. Why did a tie become taboo all of a sudden? It always made things more interesting for the playoff races, and that way, a team isn't getting rewarded for a loss.

As far as doing a 4-on-4 and then a 3-on-3...That's just too much. The current system really is the 2nd best option out there, so why not stick with it? There's no major problems with it, and there's no outcry resembling that of a college football playoff.

 

[a7xoff]

I think an extra 5 on 5 period is something that should be reserved for the playoffs. That's something I, and others I'm sure look forward to every year. 5 on 5 OT is great, but in an attempt to end a game quickly and get a W for a team, 4 on 4 is better with 5 minutes due to the more open ice and shortened time. I don't see why we need to have anymore than that, but it's pretty obvious to me anyway that the NHL is not going to be going back to teams getting ties anytime soon. Point wise it seems that the extra 1 point from a shootout or OT win piles up and by the end of the season can determine who makes the playoffs and who doesn't. That's another reason why I am not all that in favor of the shootout. Due to the fact that teams with the better shooters are going to be the ones who pile up those extra points where if there was no shootout they would get just 1 point and that's it. I guess the league likes how it's working and playoff races have been pretty tight the last few years, but some teams have really just dominated the shootout scene while others can barley grab a win in them.