We're starting to run short on offseason days (this is a good thing, btw), so I figured I'd toss this one out while we still have the time to hypothesize and prepare for the regular season. Read also: Kill time.
I'm a pretty avid basketball fan in addition to being a hockey fan, so I've been reading up on some stuff in preparation of the NBA teams holding media day events today. One of the stories I read was a hypothetical that is often debated on each and every NBA team: If you have one shot to take, and two points to score, who do you give it to?
That doesn't transfer over entirely to hockey, but there can be a similar scenario. If we ignore the fact that coaches have to hand in their shootout lineup before the shootup actually takes place, it more or less carries the same weight and sets up the scene in a comparable way.
With that said, here's the scenario. It's the third round of a shootout between the Penguins and Flyers. The "bottom" of the third, if you will, tied at 0. One goal will win it for the Pens. If you need only one shootout goal scored by one guy, who do you give that chance to? Is the obvious answer Sid, or does it go a bit deeper than that?
I suppose the one hitch will be if Sid already went first or second, but for the sake of conversation let's just say you can pick the guy you want to take that third round chance, and he can only have one. In other words, don't say "Sid in rounds one, two and three."
EDIT: Everything Pittsburgh Responds