McDavid Calls 10-Min 3-on-3 OT "Great", Other Players React

Thursday, February 13, 2025 ,

The first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off ended with a thrilling overtime winner by Mitch Marner, giving Canada a 4-3 win over Sweden. But in a regular season NHL game, Marner would have never had the chance to score that goal, as it came at 6:06 of the 3-on-3 OT period. Those OT sessions expire after 5:00 minutes in a regular NHL game, before going to a shootout to decide the winner. 

Team Canada captain Connor McDavid, the best player on the planet, said he loved the new format:

I think it's a great kind of trial run. Something I think the players liked, the fans liked it. It felt a little more like it's in our hands.

There's no question it's a more realistic way to decide a team game, compared to the individual efforts of 'penalty shots,' the way it's done in the NHL if there's no OT goal. 

"I don't think really anyone wants it to go to a shootout, so good thing we were able to find one there," added McDavid.

Arguably the second-best player in the world, Nathan MacKinnon, however, didn't agree with the extended OT, as he told rg.org that he was just gassed. 

“No. No. No. (laughs)... Maybe 7 [minutes]?... Honestly, but I could barely see, I was so tired off that rush,” said MacKinnon. “I was happy when Marner scored, because I didn't have much left to give. So 5 to 7 [minutes] would be good.”

“I like it as far as I think it’s more fun, overtime,” U.S. goaltender Jake Oettinger said. “You have to ask the top players that would be playing extra minutes, I think, for them, but I vote yes on it. I think it’s great.”

Insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff says anything but the shootout: 

"I’m all for it. I think it’s a worthy change. Anything we can do to eliminate or decrease the number of shootouts that we see is what we should all be advocating for."

There's no word yet on if the NHL will extend the regular-season OT from its current five minutes, but more exciting results like Wednesday night's, and we could be getting closer. 

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