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BOCA RATON, Fla. -- When the American Hockey League implemented 3-on-3 as part of its overtime routine for this season, there were still NHL general managers who were skeptics. They saw it as gimmicky -- maybe not as bad as the shootout, but still not exactly hockey.
They wanted to see a season's worth of results, see if it would truly cut down on the number of shootouts, see if coaches would find loopholes that might expose it.
They've now had that opportunity, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive toward reducing shootouts.
Starting Monday in Boca Raton, the NHL's general managers begin their three-day annual spring meetings, and the momentum is greater than ever to bring 3-on-3 overtime in some form to the NHL.
The AHL has substantially reduced the number of games decided in the shootout.
"I get the sense in talking to a number of the [general managers] there is a real desire to have more games end without the shootout," said a Western Conference GM. "Now, we've got basically a year of data in the American league that shows the 3-on-3 has helped do that. Everyone will give a personal opinion of if they like it visually, but you can't argue that more games are ending in overtime."
Nope, that argument is dead. In data provided by the AHL, just 5.6 percent of games this season (through March 3) in the league have ended in the shootout, which is down dramatically from 15.6 percent last season. Of the games that remain tied after regulation, 18.6 percent are decided in overtime, compared to just 8.5 percent last season.
However, the AHL plays a seven-minute overtime session, starting at 4-on-4 until the first whistle after three minutes of play. At three minutes or less, it's 3-on-3 with more goals being scored in the final minute of overtime than any other minute of overtime.
The data is convincing, although there doesn't appear to be a big appetite in the NHL to make overtime longer than the current five minutes. When to cut down to 3-on-3 from 4-on-4 will be one of the debates the GMs hash out before moving forward on this rule change. The other challenge will be to make sure the NHLPA is on board with a change that could be more taxing on its membership.
"We're going to have a healthy discussion. We have more information available," Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill told ESPN.com. "I've watched it in the AHL, it's been exciting. I saw back-to-back games and it was unbelievable. There's so much that can happen. It's still hockey, it's hockey plays and it's hockey skills."
• Also on the agenda in Boca Raton will be the general managers' quest to expand instant replay, especially as it pertains to goalie interference.
Goalie interference currently isn't reviewable. One of the challenges is that it's a subjective penalty with plenty of gray area. There's a fear of slowing games down by introducing too many instances of replay, but GMs want to use technology to get calls right.
The war room in Toronto closely monitors every game, and some general managers would like to arm on-site officials with the opportunity to get a second look themselves.
"If you can have a tablet for the referees to look at, I think that would help," one GM said. "The referees for the most part get it right a large majority of the time. They would just like a little reassurance. They don't have to piece the whole crime back together -- I think it can be done fairly quickly."
• Also on the agenda is the hope to come up with a concrete emergency goalie plan and rule to prevent a repeat of the situation in Florida where the Panthers were scrambling to find a goalie to dress when Roberto Luongo and backup Al Montoya were injured.
• And the lack of competitive fire or any intensity whatsoever during the All-Star Game in Columbus concerned a few general managers, so there might be a brainstorming session to try to find a solution. GMs don't want to increase the risk of injury to their players, so it's hard to imagine anything drastic being done there.
