Why Ryan Warsofsky’s OT Call vs. McDavid Wasn’t as Wild as It Looked
Let’s get this out of the way: Starting overtime without Macklin Celebrini on the ice is going to raise eyebrows. That’s just the reality when you’ve got a top-tier offensive weapon sitting on the bench while the other team rolls out hockey’s version of a cheat code. But in the case of San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky’s decision to open OT against the Edmonton Oilers with Alex Wennberg, Mario Ferraro, and Timothy Liljegren, it wasn’t exactly a rogue move-it was strategic, and it’s something coaches around the league have been trying all season.
Because when you’re staring down Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard to start overtime, you’re not just playing 3-on-3 hockey-you’re playing survival mode.
The McDavid-Draisaitl-Bouchard Problem
Let’s talk about what makes this Oilers trio so dangerous in overtime. McDavid and Draisaitl are both elite-level centers-top-10 in the league, maybe even top-five depending on how you slice it.
That alone is a nightmare. Add in Bouchard, a defenseman putting up point-per-game numbers, and you’ve got a trio that’s built to tilt the ice from the second the puck drops.
So how do teams counter that? As it turns out, they don’t necessarily throw their best offensive players out there right away. In fact, there’s been a league-wide trend this season of coaches starting OT with two defensemen and a more defensively responsible forward-not to win the game in the first 30 seconds, but to survive the first 30 seconds.
Here’s a quick snapshot of how some teams have handled it:
- Washington went with Strome, Dowd, and Chychrun.
- Nashville rolled out O’Reilly, Josi, and Wilsby.
- Carolina chose Staal, Gostisbehere, and Walker.
- Dallas opted for Steel, Heiskanen, and Lindell.
None of these trios scream “offensive explosion,” but that’s the point. Coaches are looking to weather the initial storm, force a turnover, and then bring in their firepower-guys like Celebrini-once the Oilers’ top line is off the ice.
Warsofsky’s Plan: Reasonable, Not Reckless
Warsofsky’s thinking was right in line with this trend. Wennberg is a smart, two-way center.
Ferraro and Liljegren had both been solid against McDavid during regulation. In fact, Ferraro logged over 10 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time against McDavid and came out ahead in shot and goal metrics.
Liljegren wasn’t far behind. Dmitry Orlov, who might be considered San Jose’s top defenseman on paper, saw less than four minutes against McDavid at even strength.
So the choice to go with Ferraro and Liljegren wasn’t just a hunch-it was backed by how the game was unfolding.
“We wanted to try to shut down McDavid and Draisaitl,” Warsofsky said postgame. “Our guys were doing a pretty good job all night. We get the puck and we get what we want and we turn it over.”
And there it is-the moment everything unraveled. The Sharks got the puck.
The plan was working. But then came a costly unforced turnover from Liljegren, and just like that, the window to get Celebrini on the ice slammed shut.
Edmonton capitalized-Zach Hyman buried it-and the Sharks walked away with a 4-3 overtime loss.
The Risk of Waiting
It’s easy to argue that you should always start OT with your best player. Celebrini has been electric this season, and San Jose is tied with Montreal for the league lead in overtime wins-nine of them, many thanks to the rookie phenom. He’s got the kind of game-breaking ability that can end things in a flash.
But there’s a chess match happening in those first few seconds of OT. Coaches know McDavid and Draisaitl are going to push the pace immediately. If you throw Celebrini out there from the jump, you risk burning him out chasing the puck or worse-watching the puck go in his own net before he even gets a touch.
That’s why teams like the Kings kept guys like Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe off the ice to start OT. Same with Washington holding back Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin. It’s not about benching your stars-it’s about using them strategically.
What This Tells Us
There’s no blueprint for stopping McDavid-Draisaitl-Bouchard in overtime. Teams have tried going best-on-best.
Others have gone defensive and hoped to counter. Most haven’t found much success either way.
What Warsofsky did wasn’t a gamble-it was the same calculated risk we’ve seen from coaches across the league. The execution fell short, not the plan. And when you’re coaching a team that doesn’t have a Roman Josi, a Zach Werenski, or a Rasmus Dahlin to match up against Edmonton’s top guns, you have to get creative.
Warsofsky got creative. It almost worked. But “almost” doesn’t count in 3-on-3 overtime.
So go ahead and question the result. But the decision?
That’s just what it takes to try and solve the McDavid puzzle. And right now, no one’s cracked it.