The NHL offseason can be a long and uneventful wait for fans, especially after the draft and free agency. That being said, we’re going to take a look at how to bolster more interest in the game with rule changes.
We’ve discussed the power play before this off-season, exploring the opportunity to have short-handed goals negate power plays.
This week we’re going to flip the subject, exploring how the offensive team can capitalize more on delayed power play opportunities.
Double it on a delay
Every team in the NHL pulls their goalie for an extra attacker when their opponent has taken a delayed penalty. Maintaining possession of the puck for as long as possible maximizes time on a man advantage and allows teams to save their two minutes at 5v4. But, if the offensive team scores, they’ve lost their power play opportunity.
If a team scores on a delayed penalty the penalty call should be honoured and a man advantage should still be handed out.
When a penalty is called, even a minor, it’s expected that the penalized player sits for that amount of time. Why should they be allowed to return to the bench after a delayed penalty goal is scored? In the moral principle of the penalty, a player is punished for breaking the rules.
It makes more sense that teams should be allowed to kill a penalty by scoring short handed, than negate a man advantage by scoring prior to a stoppage in play.
Champions League
Earlier in the summer, it was announced the Champions Hockey League (CHL) would be piloting new power play rules this upcoming season.
For anyone unaware, the Champions Hockey League is a season long tournament comprised of the best clubs across Europe.
The CHL has three rules changes being implemented.
- Scoring on a minor penalty man advantage does not end the power play
- A goal scored during a delayed penalty does not negate the power play
- A shorthanded goal will end a power play
We’ve explored the latter two of the three proposed rule changes, while the first seems to have hockey fans the most intrigued. The first two rules will likely have the most impact on scoring, while the shorthanded rule is the new incentive for shorthanded teams.
The true impacts of the rule changes are incredibly difficult to speculate statistically but time will tell as to how the game is impacted.
NHL to follow suit?
The CHL’s implementation of these trial rules is a big step in the grand scheme of hockey. Power play rules have gone unchanged for most of the game’s history but scoring sells tickets and these rules in theory should promote scoring, and excitement, in a big way.
More power play time creates more scoring opportunities, while having the opportunity to instantly kill a penalty with a shorty will be exciting for fans and teams alike. Power play strategies will definitely change as shorthanded teams will look to play more up ice and advantaged teams will thus have to defend more.
Despite the introduction of new trial rules by in Europe, the rules for online betting among fans remain unchanged. Still the same, before guessing the result of your favourite team’s game and placing a bet, you first need to choose a suitable online platform for this, and you can do it on Casino Zeus. More excitement is always a great way to engage the fans and make the game fresher.
It’s intriguing for the NHL who will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the impacts these changes have on the game, and more importantly, on the fans. If things go well in the CHL it wouldn’t surprise me to see the NHL pilot similar changes in the AHL within the next few years.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
