How would the NHL standings look under different points systems?

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The NHL general managers’ meetings concluded this week in Boca Raton, Fla. While no major rule changes were recommended, the points system was mulled over, which is promising news for fans unhappy with the status quo.

The current system allows for greater parity in the league—for tighter races down the stretch—but it has faced criticism for valuing regulation wins and overtime/shootout wins equally, and for rewarding teams that fall in overtime with a so-called “loser point.”

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello was emphatic about his distaste for the loser point in particular.

“I’m not in favour of getting a point if you don’t win,” Lamoriello said. “I’d rather see the game just be two [for a win] and zero [for a loss], or end up in a tie one and one.”

If Lamoriello had his way, the NHL would revert back to the old system, which means no more overtime. Another proposed alternative to the current format is the so-called “3-2-1.” In that system, teams would earn three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, and one point for an overtime loss.

How would these changes affect the race for the Stanley Cup? Take a look at the tables below to see how the current NHL standings (as of today) would be affected. Select the points system of your choice—the current system, the “3-2-1,” or Lamoriello’s “No OT” option”—to see how the rankings would change. (To generate point totals in a league without overtime, we assumed all games that went to overtime would have ended in a tie.)

Eastern Conference

	Now	3–2–1	No OT
Washington Capitals	95	131	87
Pittsburgh Penguins	90	123	82
Columbus Blue Jackets	90	122	80
New York Rangers	88	123	80
Montréal Canadiens	84	111	73
Ottawa Senators	80	110	73
Boston Bruins	76	105	70
New York Islanders	73	100	69
Toronto Maple Leafs	72	95	66
Philadelphia Flyers	70	89	58
Florida Panthers	69	87	58
Tampa Bay Lightning	69	92	62
Buffalo Sabres	66	86	59
Carolina Hurricanes	62	82	56
New Jersey Devils	62	79	54
Detroit Red Wings	61	75	50

How do the rankings differ using these points-system alternatives? In some cases, the changes are subtle. While the Atlantic Division standings remain unchanged across all three systems, the “3-2-1” points system would see the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets swap places in the Metropolitan Division. That means Columbus would be the wild-card team and New York would take the third spot, by that system, if the season ended today.

Over in the West, both alternative points systems would see the Anaheim Ducks ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. The reason is simple: the Ducks have more regulation wins.

Both proposed systems would have the biggest impact on the wild-card races.

The Leafs, currently one point back of the second wild-card spot, would sit three points back in Lamoriello’s system, and five points back in the “3-2-1” system.

The team currently in the playoff picture that would suffer the most from the “3-2-1” system is the Florida Panthers, who sit four points back of the second wild-card as of today but would sit 13 points back under those proposed changes.

Western Conference

	Now	3–2–1	No OT
Minnesota Wild	90	125	83
Chicago Blackhawks	89	120	78
San Jose Sharks	85	117	78
Edmonton Oilers	78	104	69
Anaheim Ducks	78	107	73
Calgary Flames	76	101	65
Nashville Predators	74	102	70
St. Louis Blues	71	97	64
Los Angeles Kings	68	87	56
Winnipeg Jets	66	91	61
Vancouver Canucks	64	82	54
Dallas Stars	64	88	61
Arizona Coyotes	53	67	44
Colorado Avalanche	39	51	33

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