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3-on-3 OT shines again: Stempniak grabs Devils’ win vs. Rangers

There’s a benefit to 3-on-3 OT that may be more important than putting an exclamation point on an already exciting game.

What about those times where two teams seem to be a little, um, drowsy?

In an 82-game season, you’re bound to get some contests that lack a little passion or “omph” or (insert other descriptions for a bland affair), even when local rivals like the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are involved.

That seemed to be the case on Sunday - feel free to disagree in the comments - possibly due in part to the “matinee” timing of the bout.

Business really picked up when it became much tougher to clog up the ice, however.

The Rangers and Devils traded some chances and near-goals (doing the sort of things fans want to see ... you know, all game) before Lee Stempniak scored his first tally as a Devil.

You can see the OT GWG and some of the exciting action in the video above. It’s also John Hynes’ first win as Devils head coach.

Circling back, 3-on-3 OT and shootouts aren’t quite the “authentic” hockey we all love. Still, during duller nights, we might just appreciate these avenues for excitement.

It even draws some mainstream appreciation:

To reiterate: it would be better if the sport bumped up excitement in more organic ways (for example: by cracking down on obstruction again). That might not happen for some time, so we’ll take what we can get, and sometimes the fun stuff might not come until regulation ends.

Agreed? Maybe?