Several NHL stars call on Gary Bettman to get rid of the league's most controversial rule: the shootout
The shootout is one of the most hated rules in the NHL. While almost everybody loves 3 on 3 overtime, ending the game with these one on ones is unpopular.
Per the great Elliotte Friedman, there are calls from several players, including goaltenders Samuel Ersson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, to get rid of the NHL's shootout rule. The shootout is a regular season decision maker, following a five minute 3 on 3 overtime segment.
Ultimately, many believe the shootout is unfair due to the fact that one on one with no defense, a goaltender is highly vulnerable. Other issues with the shootout include that players are not credited with game winning goals, which is tough in a league where personal statistics are so important (this was brought up by David Pastrnak).
There are some ardent fans of the shootout - it is incredibly entertaining as a hockey fan, but the concerns with it likely outweigh the positives. Is it time the NHL reconsider the shootout?
Source Sportsnet:
32 Thoughts: A collection of late off-season notes
| POLL | ||
AOÛT 26 | 234 ANSWERS Several NHL stars call on Gary Bettman to get rid of the league's most controversial rule: the shootout Do you think Gary Bettman and the NHL should replace the shootout? | ||
| Yes | 189 | 80.8 % |
| No | 45 | 19.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chandler Stephenson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mikael Granlund | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Roope Hintz | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Montour | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jaden Schwartz | - | 2 | 2 | |
| John Tavares | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jamie Benn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Evgeny Dadonov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pontus Holmberg | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Fraser Minten | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Poehling | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Daniel Sprong | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||