John Garrett: A shootout idea
They did not play as well as they have been and still took it to a shootout. We all know how that turned out.
The Canucks are 1-4 in shootouts and have scored only 2-of-18 attempts. There has to be a better way. It is automatic that you go with your best scorers. Why not change it up?
I have already stated my opinion on the overtime and how I think there should be an extra five minutes of 3-on-3 to maintain a team concept, so why not try to make the shootout feel more like a team accomplishment?
Here is my idea: In practice make the shootout drills a team competition. Divide the group into threes based on lines and defence pairings. The Sedins and Jannik Hansen would go against Kesler, Santorelli and Higgins and Richardson, Kassian and Booth, and Weise, Santorelli and Dalpe. The defence group would be Bieksa, Hamhuis and Garrison and then Tanev ,Alberts and Weber.
These threesomes would compete during practices and the winner gets to be the first three shooters in the next shootout. If that group wins a shootout they get to take the next one. If they lose they move to the bottom of the list, so it becomes a team thing.
Would there be criticism if the fourth line trots out to take a shootout? Sure there would, but could it get much worse?
The next step is putting the numbers in a hat and making a draw.