NHL Solution: New Points System Other Than 3-points

By JD Lagrange – Ah, the NHL’s points system. It used to be simple: the winning team earned two points, the losing team got none, and in the case of a tie after regulation, each team received one point. Then, someone in charge decided fans didn’t like tie games. So, they introduced overtime and shootouts to determine a winner. However, they still award a point for losing, leading to an artificial sense of parity across the league.

While the rationale behind awarding a point for a tie after regulation is understandable—reflecting past norms—it has inadvertently stacked the odds against teams with a slow start, hampering their ability to claw back into playoff contention. The notion of granting three points per game has gained traction, with varying allotments for wins in regulation, overtime, and losses in extra time. Yet, this proposal veers too far from the sport’s traditional ethos, potentially inflating teams’ season point totals to unprecedented levels.

Until recently, my stance favored a different approach: abolishing shootouts in favor of an additional five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime. Should the deadlock persist after this extended period, both teams would receive a point, and the game would conclude in a tie. Why? Because those 10 minutes of electrifying action would leave fans satisfied, even if the result ends in parity, with each team earning a point.

Trask suggestion

The concept put forth by my colleague Bob Trask in a prior article on this site continues to grow on me. Here’s Bob’s proposal:

• 2 points for a win in regulation
• 1 point for a win in extra time
• 0 points for the loser

Here’s why I’m increasingly drawn to it:

1. How often do we witness teams playing conservatively late in games, settling for the one point? This proposed points system would incentivize teams to actively pursue victory in regulation to secure the full two points.
2. Teams would intensify their efforts to clinch a win in extra time to earn that crucial one point, fully aware that they would walk away empty-handed if they lose.

New standings

On the left are the current NHL standings, while on the right are the point results according to the proposed format. I’ve opted to present it in a Conference setup, echoing the sentiment of many in hockey who advocate for a return to the classic playoffs format: 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5.

EAST

	CURRENT				NEW
1.		114		1.		94
2.		111		2.		94
3.		110		3.		91
4.		109		4.		79
5.		102		5.		79
6.		98		6.		74
7.		94		7.		71
8.		91		8.		70
9.		91		9.		68
10.		88		10.		68
11.		87		11.		67
12.		84		12.		65
13.		81		13.		64
14.		78		14.		57
15.		76		15.		46
16.		66		16.		45

The New York Islanders have notably gained the most from the “loser point” system in the Eastern Conference. However, under the new points system, the New Jersey Devils would emerge as the team benefiting the most, with the Buffalo Sabres following closely behind.

WEST

	CURRENT				NEW
1.		113		1.		98
2.		110		2.		94
3.		109		3.		90
4.		107		4.		88
5.		104		5.		86
6.		99		6.		82
7.		99		7.		79
8.		98		8.		75
9.		92		9.		70
10.		87		10.		69
11.		81		11.		68
12.		81		12.		62
13.		77		13.		59
14.		59		14.		47
15.		52		15.		39
16.		47		16.		32

The Dallas Stars have been shining thanks to the “loser point,” but they would lose their luster under the new system.

Conclusion

Primarily, the standings would genuinely reveal the strongest teams and those with the greatest deficiencies, offering a more precise representation for the NHL Draft based on the overall standings.

Adopting this new points system would likely reduce, if not eradicate, the conservative approach seen late in the third period. Teams would be compelled to chase the full two points, understanding that they won’t receive any points if they lose in regulation or overtime. Consequently, this shift would inject more thrilling action into the final moments of games.

I remain staunchly in favour of eliminating the gimmickry of shootouts. Regardless of soccer’s influence, deciding games through a skills competition feels out of place. The NFL, North America’s most esteemed professional sports league, doesn’t resort to field goal contests or quarterback hoop shooting for winners. MLB doesn’t resolve games with homerun derbies either.

My preference still leans towards abolishing shootouts in favour of an additional 5 minutes of 3-on-3 hockey. If the game remains deadlocked after 10 minutes of thrilling play, award each team a point and call it a night. They’ve earned it, and the fans have been thoroughly entertained.

EDIT

I’ve been asked to show what the standings would look like if we added the one point for tie (after OT). Of course here, we can only take the 5 minutes overtime so it is reasonable to think that there would be fewer tie games by doubling the OT from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.

EAST

	CURRENT				No S/O
1.		114		1.		97
2.		111		2.		93
3.		110		3.		90
4.		109		4.		78
5.		102		5.		77
6.		98		6.		73
7.		94		7.		71
8.		91		8.		71
9.		91		9.		69
10.		88		10.		69
11.		87		11.		69
12.		84		12.		63
13.		81		13.		63
14.		78		14.		52
15.		76		15.		50
16.		66		16.		44

WEST

	CURRENT				No S/O
1.		113		1.		99
2.		110		2.		96
3.		109		3.		90
4.		107		4.		86
5.		104		5.		85
6.		99		6.		82
7.		99		7.		79
8.		98		8.		74
9.		92		9.		73
10.		87		10.		68
11.		81		11.		66
12.		81		12.		60
13.		77		13.		60
14.		59		14.		48
15.		52		15.		39
16.		47		16.		36