The shootout has not been kind to the Boston Bruins. Last season, they finished with an abysmal 4-10 record when it came to shootouts which almost certainly was a factor in coach Claude Julien‘s decision to frequently utilize only one defender during the overtime period in an attempt to avoid a shootout, and it paid off in spades. As a result, the Bruins finished with a dominant 9-4 record in overtime and were able to dictate the play in many other games that could not be decided in extra time.
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Now that the 3-on-3 overtime format will be introduced for the 2015-2016 season, questions have been brought up regarding how Claude Julien will adapt to this new format and whether or not the Bruins can continue their dominant ways in the overtime period. It would be reasonable to assume that Julien could maintain his aggressive approach and go with one defender and two forwards, but the bigger question is, does he do that with two pure goal scorers? or take the safer route and make sure one of those forwards has a strong two-way hockey sense such as Patrice Bergeron?
“I think people will see the best players in the world with open ice make plays, I think it will be fun to play in and special to watch.” – New York Islanders forward John Tavares on the new overtime rules
We won’t likely find out those details until the season gets underway, but there is no question that the new format will be more exciting for the fans. I think New York Islanders Captain John Tavares said it best when he said: “I think people will see the best players in the world with open ice make plays, I think it will be fun to play in and special to watch.” It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of fans do not like shootouts and Bruins fans are certainly no exception. The only question that remains is whether or not Julien can make adjustments that will continue the black and gold’s dominate ways in overtime.