TAMPA, Fla. — The bus was waiting and Matt Murray still needed a shower. But he didn’t seem to mind a trip down memory lane after Monday’s practice.
Right here in Tampa, where the Penguins will face the Lightning on Thursday, the first 3-on-3 overtime period in NHL history took place on Oct. 8, 2015.
That overtime was a thrill ride. There was a 2-on-0 rush, another point-blank chance on a 2-on-1 and a penalty shot. And that was all in the first 87 seconds of OT. The Lightning won with 2:44 left when defenseman Jason Garrison slipped the puck between the pads of Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason on a breakaway.
Lightning fans somehow had enough oxygen left in their lungs to scream.
Murray debuted in that 2015-16 season, the first since the NHL went to 3-on-3 for overtime during the regular season. The Penguins goalie subtly nodded his head Monday, acknowledging how much OT has changed in just a few years.
“It was so new,” he said. “No one knew the best strategies to use in 3-on-3.”
Pittsburgh’s average overtime shot total has dipped year over year since 2015-16. They put 5.7 shots on goal per overtime period that season. Two years ago, it was down to 3.0. This season, the Penguins average 2.6 shots per overtime.
On the flip side, they averaged 4.2 shots against during overtime in 2015-16. That, too, continues to decline. Currently, they allow only two per overtime.
Murray, from his perch in the crease, sees it as reflective of the entire NHL.
“Players would just kind of go down and shoot, and if you missed the net, it was a 2-on-1 or a breakaway the other way,” Murray said. “When you get into that rush-for-rush game, it can go either way. If you play with structure, you have a better chance of controlling play. We’re starting to figure it out finally.”
Murray, in that moment, was referring to the evolution of OT. But that last part certainly applies to the Penguins, too. They have been one of the league’s toughest to beat at 3-on-3 since one November loss left coach Mike Sullivan fuming.
The Penguins lost, 5-4, to the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 19. They blew a two-goal lead in the final five minutes of regulation. But what really grinded Sullivan’s gears was how the Penguins played during overtime.
“I didn’t think we were very good at all,” he said then. “Our details were brutal.”
The Islanders held the puck for much of the extra session and out-shot them, 5-0. Brock Nelson got the game-winner, poking in a rebound after Justin Schultz had a bad giveaway trying to exit the zone, leading to a 2-on-1 rush on Murray.
The next day, Sullivan gave them an earful before spending a chunk of practice working on 3-on-3 play. That rarely happens. (Coincidentally, they did it Monday.)
Two nights after that “brutal” overtime display against the Islanders, the Penguins were better but lost another in OT to the Islanders in Brooklyn. At that point, they were 7-13 in games decided in overtime since the start of 2018-19.
Since then, they are 6-1 in games that ended in OT with two wins in a shootout. In six of those nine games, they didn’t even allow a shot. So, what changed?
“It boils down to a lot of things that add up to big things,” Sullivan said.
The name of the game now in the 3-on-3 OT is hogging the puck. After all, it’s hard to score when you don’t have it. Winning faceoffs helps with that. So does close but cautious man-to-man defense, another area of improvement.
“A couple of times early this year, we tried to jump a pass [and failed],” Marcus Pettersson said. “And then it opened up and they were able to score.”
However they get possession of the puck, the Penguins are showing restraint in terms of their shot selection. They are forcing fewer high-risk passes in the hopes of highlight-reel plays. And more and more, they will pull the puck back out to center to regroup and get fresh legs on the ice before heading back on the attack.
“You get stuck out there on a 3-on-3, it can be a grind,” Jack Johnson said.
Just ask the Columbus Blue Jackets, who on Dec. 12 couldn’t get tired defenders off the ice because of Tristan Jarry’s stickhandling. In OT, both teams have to change at the far bench. Jarry wouldn’t let the Blue Jackets do it, firing the puck back up the ice. Eventually, Bryan Rust put them out of their misery.
“Teams are trying to focus on puck possession,” Rust said. “Every now and again, you’ll see games that are 2-on-1 after 2-on-1. Those games are fun to watch. Not as much fun to be in. Teams are focused on being able to out-change teams, especially because it’s a long change [to] capitalize on tired players.”
There is still end-to-end action sometimes and multiple high-danger chances on many nights. But the pace of play often slows to a crawl as teams are careful not to cough up the puck or miss the net, sending opponents the other way.
Honestly, 3-on-3 OT looks like a different game than that night here five years ago at Amalie Arena, when the Lightning and Flyers traded breakaways.
“I think it’s evolved away from what the NHL had in mind,” Johnson said. “I think they wanted more run and gun. But we’re trying to limit that. Teams are figuring out how to strategize it in a way that’s taking away from some of the excitement. But that’s what teams do to try to cut down scoring chances.”
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: February 4, 2020, 12:31 a.m.
