Story by
Will Predators' bold overtime tactic catch on? What Andrew Brunette said
- Story by
- Will Predators' bold overtime tactic catch on? What Andrew Brunette said
The prospect of facing Oilers' star Connor McDavid in 3-on-3 overtime has given Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette nightmares.
It's hard enough to stop the three-time Hart Trophy winner from scoring during 5-on-5. Now you remove two defenders and give him even more space? Terrifying.
Advertisement
"When he picks up that speed, you just close your eyes and pray," Brunette said prior to the Predators ' matchup with the Oilers on Jan. 13.
Then later that night, after the Predators and Oilers skated to a 3-3 tie in regulation, Brunette's nightmare became reality. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch sent McDavid out with Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard to begin overtime.
But Brunette had a plan – instead of the customary two forwards, one defensemen, he would send out two defensemen, one forward.
"With McDavid and Draisaitl up front, if we don't win the draw, we thought we would just play them that way," Brunette said after practice at Centennial Sportsplex on Jan. 15.
Advertisement
And the strategy worked. Not only was McDavid held without a shot attempt in overtime, the Predators won on Roman Josi's goal with 1:18 left , ending a five-game losing streak against the Oilers.
"It worked," Brunette said. "But it's not always going to work."
Breaking down the Predators' overtime strategy vs Connor McDavid , Oilers
As overtime began, Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby , both defensemen, started with center Ryan O'Reilly. Some 30 seconds later, Connor McDavid rushed into the zone and Wilsby forced a turnover. That gave the Predators possession and, immediately, Wilsby came off the ice for forward Filip Forsberg . The Predators attacked quickly with Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and defenseman Nick Blankenburg , before a whistle forced a change.
Advertisement
After a minute with Erik Haula , Fedor Svechkov , and Brady Skjei - two forwards, one defenseman - Josi came back on and nearly ended the game on a dazzling drive through the middle. His far-side shot just missed the Oilers net.
Then O'Reilly came on for Haula and Blankenburg, a defenseman, came on for Svechkov. This gave the Predators two defensemen and, again, it worked perfectly. Blankenburg stopped two McDavid attacks, staying right on top of him for 30-40 seconds.
Finally, Skjei replaced Blankenburg, setting up the winning combo: O'Reilly, Skjei and Josi.
Skjei stopped another attack by McDavid, which started a quick rush – O'Reilly lobbed the puck over Evan Bouchard, forcing Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry to come far out of the net. The puck caromed to Skjei, who found Josi on the right side for the winning goal.
Advertisement
"We were just trying to get the (defense) out there to protect against (McDavid and Draisaitl)," Skjei told The Tennessean. "But it also works when you go the other way with a guy like (Josi)."
Will Predators' overtime strategy catch on?
Though he's happy it worked out, Brunette doesn't see the two defensemen strategy as a permanent shift for overtime.
"I'm sure other teams have done it, but it was just something we talked about before. Something we were going to experiment with earlier in the year and we thought it was a good opportunity (against the Oilers)," he said.
Advertisement
Skjei, who spent five years in Carolina prior to signing a seven-year deal in Nashville in 2024, said the Hurricanes did something similar in overtime. He remembers skating two defensemen in overtime with Jaccob Slavin against players like McDavid.
"It doesn't happen every time, but against those kinds of guys it can work," Skjei said. "I'd be shocked if other teams don't try it."
ESTES: Nashville Predators can only win the hard way – and they are
Incidentally, the Predators will face another elite forward in Nathan MacKinnon , who leads the NHL with 36 goals, in their next matchup with the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 16 (8 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
Advertisement
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com . Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1 . Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds .
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Predators' bold OT tactic catch on? What Andrew Brunette said
