It’s hard to believe, but the shootout has been with us for five seasons. The breakaway competition was adopted in 2005 as a way to settle games tied after overtime and has turned into a must-see — how many times have you been flicking through TV channels and stopped to watch when you saw teams getting ready to go to the shootout?
Johan Hedberg, Devils — New Jersey doesn’t figure to struggle in shootouts this season even when coach John MacLean gives Brodeur a night off. Hedberg, who played with Dallas in 2005-06 and Atlanta the last four seasons, is a combined 16-5 with an .805 save percentage that leads all goaltenders who have taken part in 20 or more shootouts. He never has lost a shootout at home, going 8-0 with the Stars and Thrashers.
Pekka Rinne, Predators — When your team struggles to score, you’d better have a goaltender who’s good at shootouts, and Nashville has one in Rinne. He’s 11-5 in his two NHL seasons while posting a .768 save percentage. For whatever reason, Rinne gets in a lot more shootouts when playing at home; he’s 12-3 at Bridgestone Arena but just 1-2 on the road.