The NHL Standings Are Flawed
Points Shouldn't Be Awarded for Overtime and Shootout Losses
As the NHL struggles to find new fans beyond its hardcore base, they should consider their own credibility. What other sports league awards points for losing? How different would things be if those loser points were never awarded?
Only in the NHL Can a 5-8 Record Be Considered .500
Following a 7-1 pasting by the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs President Richard Peddie told the Toronto Star, “We’re not happy at .500.”
After 40-plus Cup-less years, Leaf fans must be heartened to hear their beloved Blue and White aren’t satisfied with mediocrity. Unfortunately for those fans, mediocrity would be a nice step up.
At the time of Peddie’s utterance, the Leafs record stood at 5-5-2-1. The first ‘5’ in that line stands for wins. The second is for losses in regulation. The ‘2’ represents overtime losses and the ‘1’ for shootout losses.
Peddie spins a nice tale, but the fact remains that only in the happy world of the NHL can 5 wins and 8 losses constitute a .500 record.
Only Wins Should Matter
Adding the 5-minute overtime period and the shootout to settle tie games has proven a good move. Purists may hate the innovations, but other than fights, nothing gets fans out of their seats faster.
The problem isn’t that a winner is decided in games that used to end in a tie. It’s that the loser is rewarded too. No other sports leagues hand out consolation prizes to the losers. At the end of the season it’s wins that count, pure and simple.
Not in the NHL. A quick look at the final standings from the 2006-07 season show the playoff picture would have been quite different if the single points awarded for overtime and shootout losses were taken away.
How the East Would Have Been Won
In the Eastern Conference, the top 2 seeds would still have been Buffalo and New Jersey. But Tampa Bay would have taken the 3rd seed by virtue of winning the Southeast Division.
Under the no-points-for-losses plan, the Lightning would have nipped the Atlanta Thrashers for first in the division. Atlanta accumulated 11 points from games they lost as opposed to the Lightning gaining only 5 loser points. That’s a huge swing. Instead of having to face New Jersey in the 1st round, they’d have played the Thrashers and had home ice advantage to boot.
Meanwhile, the Rangers would have fallen to 7th and a date with the Devils. That’s a far cry from having to play the Thrashers whom they swept.
The biggest beneficiary in the East, though, would have been the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs would have grabbed the final playoff spot ahead of the New York Islanders. Sure, the Sabres might have creamed them in the first round, but then again, who knows?
How the West Would Have Been Won
Out west things would have been significantly different too. Detroit topped the overall table with 113 points. Take away the 13 points the Red Wings were allotted for losses, though, and the Nashville Predators would have won the Central Division.
The Preds only got 8 loser points and would have finished 2 points ahead of the Wings instead of 3 behind. Nashville would have played 8th seeded Colorado who would have beaten out Calgary by virtue of having one more victory. Meanwhile, Detroit would have tumbled all the way to the Conference’s 4th seed and a date with Dallas.
That’s not all. The Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks would have had a way tougher row to hoe. Take away the 14 points they acquired by losing (tied for the league lead) and they’d have fallen from the 2nd to 6th seed. The big winner in that scenario would have been San Jose. The Sharks would have won the Pacific Division and met the Minnesota Wild in the opening round.
How things might have worked out differently is anyone’s guess, but at least the teams that won the most games would have been in the post-season dance.
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