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It's early, but "thumbs up" to 3-on-3 overtime, especially the very first of its kind, won 3-2 by the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Philadelphia Flyers. It was 137 seconds of action that made you dizzy before Jason Garrison ended it on a breakaway - as if it was going to end any other way. Mind you, Friday night's overtime did end differently, with a power play goal that gave Chicago a 3-2 verdict over the Islanders.

But here's a note of caution for 3-on-3 fans; the Tampa Bay-Philly overtime included a penalty shot, and the first-ever game in Brooklyn should have featured one, too. Scott Laughton failed to score on his penalty shot against Tampa goalie Ben Bishop and Nick Leddy of the Islanders slashed Marian Hossa from behind, receiving a minor penalty when the puck should have been placed at centre ice for Hossa.

What's my point?

My point is this; if players are going to stop overtime breakaways by committing infractions that produce or deserve penalty shots, the overtime format that is supposed to prevent shootouts could become its own version of the shootout. I have a solution. If an overtime ends with a penalty shot goal, the losing team forfeits its single point.

Shame On You

I preface this by saying I sincerely hope it is the last time I ever have to say "thumbs down" to a player who receives a solid body check fully approved by the rule book and proceeds to attack the player who delivered it. Sadly, I fear it will not be the last time. Disturbingly, it took less than a full night on day one of this NHL season to produce the latest example of this head-scratching behaviour.

Milan Lucic of the Los Angeles Kings was flattened by Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks and Lucic skated the full width of the ice to pound Couture's head. Lucic was given a match penalty for intent to injure, thought he received the penalty only because of his reputation.

Well, his reputation wasn't bad enough to get him suspended, and maybe his treatment of Couture wasn't either, but if the NHL is going to keep a book on players who dive, and thus, disrespect the game and the way it is supposed to be played, then maybe there can be some sort of public shaming of the guy who isn't tough enough to take a good hit without retaliating as Lucic did. I'll be happy to start it here.

Milan Lucic hardly wants to be known as an advocate for the removal of body checking, but he might as well be one if he thinks Couture did something wrong.