There are plenty of fan bases including the Edmonton Oilers, who would like to see a chance to the NHL's overtime and playoff formats. Unfortunately however, neither is likely to be changed anytime soon, thanks to Gary Bettman.
The NHL commissioner confirmed to the media that neither format will be revamped, during this week's general managers meetings in Florida. Bettman also advised no rule changes had been proposed.
In respect of overtime, there had been some speculation about increasing the length of the extra period from five to 10 minutes. However, as per Sportsnet, Bettman said: "I'm not a fan of the extended overtime because of ice conditions and the wear and tear on the players who would be playing the additional five minutes,"
It can certainly be appreciated why a lot of fans like the current overtime format, which is followed by the excitement of a shootout if no winner is scored after the extra five minutes. However, there are also plenty of people who would rather see a longer overtime and then the game ending in a tie if no one scores, as opposed to one team gaining an extra point via a shootout.
Oilers superstar has his say on overtime format
The Oilers' own Connor McDavid previously expressed his own issues with the current overtime period, during an appearance on Sportsnet two years ago with Tim Micallef. At the time he said: "No one loves the shootout. It's a crappy way to finish a game, but at the end of the day, it's about the players' health and safety. It's a long season. The overtime taxes a lot of guys, so making that longer could have some effects there. But I agree with you in the sense that no one wants to see a game end in a shootout."
From our perspective, there really is no ideal way to resolve the overtime format and keep everyone happy, with a balance needed between ending the game fairly and providing entertainment for fans. For what it's worth though, our preference would be to keep the overtime period at five minutes, but have the game end in a tie if no one scores, and eradicate the shootout altogether.
Further, you can also see the hypocrisy when you consider the format come playoff time, with no games ending in a shootout. The NHL acknowledges the need to play overtime until someone scores, as the fairest way of a final outcome, but at the same time they don't seem quite as concerned about any wear and tear on the players.
NHL playoff format will remain the same for now
As for the present playoff format, criticism focuses on how the second and third-placed teams in the four divisions have to face each other in the first round. The thinking is that you can often have two of the top teams meeting in the opening round, as opposed to being seeded more fairly and potentially meeting further down the road in the playoffs.
Once again though, Bettman's having none of it. He said: "I'm pretty dug in on this, I like exactly what we have and if you look at the races that we're having for the regular season, playoffs have started already. We're in our play-in tournament. Best team to win the Cup has got to get through the best teams. And having great matchups in the first rounds, that's not a problem, that's a great thing."
In one respect we do appreciate Bettman's position on this, but we would contend the opening round of the playoffs is often the best and most exciting round in the NHL as it is, regardless of who is facing each other. Where a change in the seeding format could help the league, is to have two top teams meeting in later rounds, to counter the dip in quality which can occur, due to the physical demands of hockey and with the Stanley Cup often being regarded as the toughest trophy to win in all of professional sports.
It should be noted though that as things stand, the current playoff format actually benefits the Oilers, with them set to have home ice advantage versus the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. Under a more traditional seeding system, they would be fifth in the Western Conference and facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round without the benefit of home ice.
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