from Sportsnet,

Well, we’ve done a little brainstorming and dreamed up a few “what if…” scenarios, and come up with five innovations and ideas that could have the power to up the NHL’s excitement level.

More overtime
This season marks the first year of the league's new 3-on-3 overtime format, and so far it's gotten rave reviews from fans. Yet, as effective as this new OT has been in terms of scaling back the number of games ending in a shootout, we're still seeing plenty of games unresolved once the five-minute period is up.

So why not give fans more of what they want? Add more 3-on-3 overtime — how about 10 minutes, instead of five? Or change the structure of overtime altogether: Five minutes of 4-on-4, then five minutes of 3-on-3. And if it's still unresolved? OK, shootout it is. Heck, just end it in a tie even.

Three-game series in the regular season
Let's take a page out of baseball's book for a minute here... what if hockey's regular season was set up in three-game series? It could have the power to inject a playoff vibe into the regular season. More story lines, more rivalries, and more team-targeted strategy — not to mention, some excellent hockey road trips for fans. What could go wrong? (OK. Don't answer that.)

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