The NHL is the fourth most popular major sport and that’s why the league is always striving to improve their product. They’ve realigned the conferences, made overtime 3 on 3 and even decreased the size of goalie’s pads. If the next topic ever gets approved, I believe the NHL playoffs will lose integrity. Thus, turning them into the NBA playoffs.
The latest talks, which are gaining more traction, involve creating a 3-point win system much like that of international play.
If you’re unfamiliar with how it works. It goes like this, three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime or shootout win, one for an overtime or shootout loss, and zero for a regulation loss.
The problem with the current system is that teams start to play safe late in the third period, when games are tied. The theoretical solution is, rewarding a team with an extra point would create incentive to play harder, instead of playing for the “loser’s point” and taking your chances in OT.
False Sense Of Parity
Some sportswriters feel this creates a false sense of parity in the league. The current NHL standings (as of February 13) have 28 of 30 NHL teams are within seven points of a playoff spot.
This seems like it would be a good thing but it creates a false sense of contention and that one point is extremely valuable in a race like this season’s. Coaches like the Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville calls it “being smart” but San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer elaborates more.
“Maybe not early in the third, but definitely as the game wears on and you get in the last 10 minutes of the third, it’s impossible not to think that, ‘Hey, we’ll take the point and take our chances in overtime,’” said San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. “I think everybody does that.”
Organizations are also unwilling to make trades because they are, or believe they are, in the playoff hunt. Giving up your players to trades isn’t very appealing when you can still make the playoffs.
Ability To Make Up Points Faster
The international point system would allow teams to distance themselves from the pack but it would also allow them to make it up faster, according to the Blackhawks’ Stan Bowman.
“They always talk about how it’s going to separate the teams, but you can make up ground quicker. If you win seven games in a row in regulation, that’s a lot better than seven games in a row in overtime. I think it would give teams a hope that you could get hot. There would be more separation, but there also would be hope. Right now, it’s just so hard to make up ground on anybody. Because every night, you can win five in a row and really not move up because other teams are getting points when they’re losing.”
Also a valid point but if it’s harder to make up ground on the lead pack then it sounds like the winners are already being rewarded. I just don’t understand why people are so concerned with the regular season. I’m more concerned about the competition in the playoffs.
Decreased Integrity For NHL Playoffs
The NHL playoffs are the best of any major sport, without question. Every team that makes it, no matter what seed, has a chance to win the Stanley Cup. All it takes is getting hot if you have a poor seed and one player or one goaltender could lead the way to Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The new point system would be great to create excitement during the regular season. It would also allow teams to manufacture trades at the deadline, but it could also eliminate the chance of a Cinderella story. You wouldn’t want to see the key player from a fringe team get traded to an already superior team.
This would create super teams like that of the NBA and eliminate 4-8 seeds from ever winning. For reference, since 2010 only one number one seed has won The Cup and in that time a four, six and eight has won. In the NBA’s history, only two teams lower than a 3-seed have ever won the title.
The current system is working very well and the parity is for real.
