Well that was certainly something.
The Philadelphia Flyers dropped the puck on their 2015-2016 season last night and wound up playing in the first 3-on-3 overtime game in the NHL when they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Overall, the Flyers put together a pretty good effort in Dave Hakstol's first game as coach of the Orange and Black. They left Tampa with a point.
For fans, the 3-on-3 overtime was action packed -- 8 shots in just over two minutes -- and certainly an entertaining back and forth to watch. It received some mixed reviews from players.
Lightning goalie Ben Bishop helped his team on to victory but wasn't a huge fan of the OT format.
"Personally, I don't think it's fair," Bishop told the Tampa Bay Times. "One breakaway, then another breakaway. I think the shootout, it's fair both ways. This is going to be a little bit more of a gong show."
"Lunacy" and "crazy" were also words the Lightning used to describe it.
NHL
The Flyers have a reputation as being notoriously bad in shootouts, so both fans and players seem to be a little more okay with mixing it up.
"It was chance after chance," Flyers goalie Steve Mason said of overtime. "That's what the league was trying to get, some wide open hockey and that's exactly what it was."
Hakstol says the Flyers will try and learn from the 3-on-3 format.
"We tried a little too hard to make things happen in the overtime and that cost us," Hakstol said after the game.
And Flyers fans are going to have to try and not have a heart attack every game that goes to OT. That's still probably better than whatever they felt going into shootouts in years past.
