Henrik Lundqvist says 'Why not?' to new All-Star Game three-on-three format

In an effort to shake up the format, the NHL brass has decided to play a three-on-three tournament in the All-Star Game in Nashville in late January rather than a traditional five-on-five game.

Henrik Lundqvist, on record as not particularly a fan of the new five-minute, three-on-three overtime during the regular season, nonetheless endorsed the change on Thursday.

"In the end, they want to make something unique and fun for the fans." said Lundqvist, who has made three All-Star appearances. "Three-on-three is still so new, but for an All-Star weekend, why not? That whole weekend is about promoting the game."

Players will represent the Pacific, Central, Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions in the $1-million, winner-take-all tournament, which will have three 20-minute games. The Central will face the Pacific, the Atlantic will play the Metropolitan and the winners will advance to a championship game.

For a goaltender, said Lundqvist, the wide-open All-Star Game, in which bodychecking is an afterthought, is "already out of your comfort zone, so it doesn't really matter, three-on-three. This might be even more action. Again, you go there to enjoy the game, meet the players, promote the game. Why not try it and see. It's hard to know how it's going to play out."

With three-on-three, Lundqvist does expect more passing than usual.

"During the season, guys are going to the net and their focus is to score. In an All-Star Game, even five-on-five, sometimes they try to set up the perfect goal, the perfect play, so if it's a 2-on-0 or 3-on-0, I don't expect them to shoot on the first play and even on the third play," he said with a laugh. "I don't even know if I'm going to be there, but whoever's playing goal is probably going to have to expect a lot of passing going on."

Blue notes

Entering Thursday night, in their last 82 regular-season games dating to Nov. 19, 2014, the Rangers were 60-17-5 and had collected 125 points . . . The team's top offensive prospect, winger Pavel Buchnevich, scored a hat trick for Severstal of the KHL Thursday and is 10-13-23 in 30 games. Rangers executive Adam Graves is in Russia scouting the 20-year-old, who was selected in the third round of the 2013 draft, in hopes of bringing him to the U.S., possibly after the KHL season. He had 17 goals and 30 points in 48 games last season.