Why hasn't the NHL changed to a 3 point system for regulation win? Are they considering it?

[New Jersey Devil]

This option three is better than OP's option one and two.

And I will also add that overtime would go back to 5 on 5.

 

[NYRfan85]

Personally, I think we need to ditch the shootout and bring back ties. Make every game worth 3 points, except if it ends in a tie--then nobody gets that third point.

3 pts = Regulation win
2 pts = OT win
1 pt = OT Loss / Tie
0 pts = Regulation loss

But, since the NHL probably will never get rid of the shootout, I go with Option 2 in the OP's post. Every game is worth 3 points, regardless of outcome.

 

[Fripp]

I don't care what they do as long as every game is worth the same amount of total points. Which rules out option 1 in the OP.

 

[KingsFan7824]

There is demonstrable effect on the way the game is played. The number of shots decreases considerably during the last ten minutes if the game is tied compared to other scores. This would indicate that teams play differently, more conservatively, during the end of tight games. The dreaded “play out the overtime and bank the point for tie” just happens ten minutes earlier - during the tail end of the regulation.

And the 76-77 Canadiens, arguably the greatest team of all time, outscoring teams 4.84 to 2.14 on average, had more ties than losses, when there was no OT whatsoever.

 

[Section 104]

FWIW about 10 years when Gary Bettman had his call in show on SiriusXM he said it would be too disruptive with tradition. By that I assume he felt People expect an 80 point team to be okay, 90 point pretty good, 100 point great and 110+ super. It would make comparing teams to the past harder.
He also ridiculed the idea of a 5-4-3-2-1-0 for regulation win-ot win-shootout win-shootout loss-ot loss-loss as silly and complicated.

Racing organizations such as NASCAR and Formula 1 do change their formula for how much positions in races are worth so it can be done. To me it doesn’t matter much one way or another.

 

[Nasti]

Remove the shootout and go to a 10 minute 5 on 5 OT period. Tie if no one scores. 2 points for OT win, 3 for regulation.

 

[Mirka the Turka]

The 3-2-1 system is best

Plus it rewards you for finishing things off in regulation! You can genuinely see teams, when games are tied, push for overtime. This will add a lot more regulation finishes. It also will make it so that just because you’re a good 3v3 team it won’t propel you that much ahead in the standings. It’s more fair, as the playoffs will only be 5v5 so why are we rewarding good 3v3 teams that greatly?

Also, every game will be 3pts. The standings will ultimately the more fair.

 

[BigEezyE22]

LA missed the PO one year and i think it was MTL another year, until 2-3 teams miss in the same year because of the unbalanced points system the NHL won't change.

But every time 1 team gets pushed out because of the system another team makes it in. It’s not like it’s a points threshold where you wind up with like 13-15 playoff teams.

 

[TheOtherOne]

The biggest drawback, whether you like it or not, is incentive.

If OT is worth fewer points than a regulation win, then teams will have incentive to pull their goalie before regulation ends in a tie.

You can be okay with that if you want. But it would be weird. And that's the reason.

 

[Phil Kessels Hot Dog]

The biggest drawback, whether you like it or not, is incentive.

If OT is worth fewer points than a regulation win, then teams will have incentive to pull their goalie before regulation ends in a tie.

You can be okay with that if you want. But it would be weird. And that's the reason.

I don't see that as a drawback at all. God forbid teams still try to win in the last half of the third.

 

[TheOtherOne]

I don't see that as a drawback at all. God forbid teams still try to win in the last half of the third.

It's a little more than "trying to win". You will see 6 on 6 with both goalies out. Is that closer to "real hockey" than 3 on 3 OT is?

 

[Anomie2029]

The NHL won't change it, because the current point system artificially keeps teams in the running for playoffs longer.

It's a little more than "trying to win". You will see 6 on 6 with both goalies out. Is that closer to "real hockey" than 3 on 3 OT is?

I can almost guarantee you will not see this. NHL coaches, for the most part, are extremely risk adverse and they wouldn't likely pull their goalie until they are desperate towards the end of the season (and even then I think it's unlikely).

I mean, look at how infrequently coaches will put out 5 forwards on the PP or 3 forwards in OT.

 

[TheOtherOne]

The NHL won't change it, because the current point system artificially keeps teams in the running for playoffs longer.


I can almost guarantee you will not see this. NHL coaches, for the most part, are extremely risk adverse and they wouldn't likely pull their goalie until they are desperate towards the end of the season (and even then I think it's unlikely).

I mean, look at how infrequently coaches will put out 5 forwards on the PP or 3 forwards in OT.

I guarantee you WILL see it. A coach is going to "play it safe" when they need exactly 3 points to guarantee a playoff spot in the last game or two? That's not risk adverse, it's flat out insane. Coaches will do all they can to get that playoff spot, and it comes down to 1 point and tie breakers every single year.

 

[Anomie2029]

I guarantee you WILL see it. A coach is going to "play it safe" when they need exactly 3 points to guarantee a playoff spot in the last game or two? That's not risk adverse, it's flat out insane. Coaches will do all they can to get that playoff spot, and it comes down to 1 point and tie breakers every single year.

Yet, when teams have needed a win in OT towards the end of the season, we haven't seen a coach pull the goalie to make it 4 on 3.

Personally, I have no issue with a desperate play in their last game of the season - it adds to the tension and excitement. I don't know why anyone would have an issue with entertainment.

 

[Osakahaus]

3 point system makes too much sense. also get rid of the overtime point for losers, its absolutely awful. the fact it also was able to swing some teams into the playoffs despite having less wins is absolutely laughable.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Yet, when teams have needed a win in OT towards the end of the season, we haven't seen a coach pull the goalie to make it 4 on 3.

Personally, I have no issue with a desperate play in their last game of the season - it adds to the tension and excitement. I don't know why anyone would have an issue with entertainment.

That's because the shootout can get you the 2 points just as well. If the buzzer immediately disqualified you for that second point, then you would have seen goalies pulled.

 

[nturn06]

Yet, when teams have needed a win in OT towards the end of the season, we haven't seen a coach pull the goalie to make it 4 on 3.

Personally, I have no issue with a desperate play in their last game of the season - it adds to the tension and excitement. I don't know why anyone would have an issue with entertainment.

That's because you have a better chance at winning the game in SO than by pulling the goalie in OT. The smart decission is to wait for SO.. Besides, if you pull the goalie in OT and the other team scores, I think you get 0 points.

 

[LuckyDay]

This is again where I post that Bettman said this was already tried and what happens is the games get really, really defensive and boring in the 3rd when coaches try to hang on to the 3 points.

The purpose of the 3-2-1 was to have to the teams not worry about about hanging on to the single point in OT which had started to make OT dull. The idea for 3-2-1 was tried in the minors and seemed to work so Bettman adopted it. Until the shootout was implemented, which is why we first had 4 on 4 and now 3 on 3 (which was only used before as a gimmick in exhibition games or in the IIHL).

The 5min OT in regulation was adoped in the NHL because of it's success in the WHA.

 

[metalan2]

Because every single time you run a simulation of standings with the 3 point system nothing at all changes most of the time. It doesn't matter.

 

[FerrisRox]

I'd probably have a points system just so regulation games are worth more than OT.

Regulation win = 2 points
OT/SO win = 1 point
Any loss = 0

Why should a regulation win be more valuable than an OT win?

 

[dortt]

3-1-0 system is by far the best one

Regarding ties, ties are still in the game. NHL just did a wonderful job of marketing it to most that they are gone. Teams get a point for being tied after 60 minutes. OT/SO is simply a bonus game for an extra point

 

[Foppberg]

Why should a regulation win be more valuable than an OT win?

Because it’s regular hockey and not a gimmick like 3v3 or a shootout. Would also encourage teams to really go for it if they needed 2 points.

 

[FerrisRox]

Because it’s regular hockey and not a gimmick like 3v3 or a shootout. Would also encourage teams to really go for it if they needed 2 points.

I don't understand the logic.

If you got two points for a win and zero points for a loss that would "encourage teams to really go for it" because if they don't, they get zero points.

 

[ijuka]

Fake parity.

And so teams that have 30% winrate can say "we are a .500 team, that's pretty good".

Terrible system and makes zero sense for a point to just appear out of thin air, and also makes zero sense for OTL to be much better than OTW in comparison to the reg one.

 

[Zerotonine]

If they're going to keep the shootout, then they should give the points out like this:

regulation/OT win: 2 points
shootout win: 1 point
any type of loss: 0 points

1000 percent this should be the only point structure moving forward

Take a look at some teams right now who eat loser points like tic tacs

The flames are in a playoff position with 9 loser points and literally 4 games below 500

Leafs, hurricanes, Dallas, and kings would all be few slots down the standings as well if not for the loser points...