In recent months there has been increasing debate<\/a> about the staleness of the format; fans have noticed it has grown a bit trying, and there is data suggesting the players are thinking about 3-on-3 strategy differently now than they did in years past. We\u2019ve also seen other leagues start to experiment with tweaks to 3-on-3 overtime.<\/p>\n The Champions Hockey League implemented a \u201cno return\u201d rule<\/a> for its format after initial trials, prohibiting teams with possession and control of the puck in the attacking zone from retreating back into the neutral zone. Violations result in dangerous defensive zone faceoffs, and the threat of losing possession and being forced back onto the defensive side of the puck has kept teams aggressive and on the attack.<\/p>\n This one change increased the percentage of games being completed in overtime, identical to the NHL\u2019s goal. The early returns have been encouraging: an additional 12 per cent of games are now ending in overtime<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bringing this back to the NHL: if it feels like the pace during 3-on-3 has felt painfully slow and methodical relative to years past, you\u2019re not wrong. What we are seeing in the data suggests a meaningful change in approach from teams, generating far less offensive volume (and scoring far fewer goals) than anything from the past decade:<\/p>\n Both scoring and offensive shot volume per 60 minutes are at 10-year lows, and the offensive shot volume year over year is the type downtrend no league wants to see. If the league\u2019s mandate was to create a high-tempo, offensive product that kept games out of the shootout format, the current structure is failing to accomplish its goals.<\/p>\n The numbers speak for themselves. This season, 27 per cent of games \u2013 more than one in every four games played \u2013 is requiring extra time, in line with prior seasons. What\u2019s quite different is how frequently the league is requiring the shootout to resolve these games again, up considerably versus prior periods and surely correlated with the offensive slowdown we are seeing in 3-on-3 play:<\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say the NHL is aware of the growing concerns with the current format and listening to potential tweaks to bring offence back to the forefront<\/a>, but nothing serious has manifested yet.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6KOH6SP2WRGT5I5U7WKKXCXKI4.jpg\")
Yost1 <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CZBEVBAXQZABVBJE7RL6FMQQIU.jpg\")
Yost2 <\/p>\n