The era of 3-on-3 overtime has begun. We got to dabble in it during the preseason, we got to lament the eventual death of fun in 3-on-3 overtime as promised by Bob McKenzie and now we’ve seen the first regular season 3-on-3 overtime.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers used the extra frame on Thursday night in a weird period that saw Ben Bishop required to stop a penalty shot to keep his team afloat. (Bishop wound up stopping two penalty shots during the game.)
In the end, it was defenseman Jason Garrison who put in the NHL’s first ever 3-on-3 overtime game-winner. An unlikely hero, Garrison scored four goals in 70 games last season.
On Thursday night, Garrison got a breakaway and managed to make a move and beat Flyers goaltender Steve Mason, scoring his second goal of the night.
Watch the historic tally below.
Here’s a look at Bishop’s OT penalty shot save on Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
