Erik Karlsson was born for 3-on-3 Overtime. Being one of the NHL’s, if not the best defenceman in the league comes with a certain respect between yourself and your peers. With so much room on the ice during the extra-frame, Karlsson could easily blow by you with his speed, making him tough to defend.
Having already missed a few games this season, the Senators’ captain picked up right where he left off in the playoffs last season. Karlsson has been off to a great start, and although he was left off the scoresheet Tuesday night, we saw just how talented and feared the Swedish leader is. In a game between Los Angeles and Ottawa, there was a small delay before the puck was dropped to start the extra period.
At the start of overtime, the Los Angeles Kings sent out Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty. That’s a respectable lineup for overtime, but there was just one issue: no one wanted to cover Karlsson. We saw Kopitar and Doughty chatting before puck drop, and then Doughty asked Dustin Brown if he wanted to cover Karlsson. Brown promptly responded that he would take Johnny Oduya and leave the speedy Karlsson to Doughty and Kopitar.
The Kings debating who will cover Erik Karlsson before the start of overtime is great pic.twitter.com/pLnXagiksP
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) October 25, 2017
Karlsson overheard the exchange and flashed his pearly whites, proving that Karlsson is feared even amongst three of the NHL’s best. Karlsson didn’t score in OT, but made a nice defensive play to send the game to a shootout.
