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Was the NHL’s decision to use the international point format for the 4 Nations Face-Off a sign of things to come?
Many hockey fans hope that’s the case, and backers of the New York Rangers should love to see it implemented immediately.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1999-2000, the NHL introduced its unbalanced point system, where teams get two points for a win, one point for an overtime loss and no points for a regulation loss.
The extra points in the system can help keep more squads and their fan bases invested in the playoff hunt until later in the season. But detractors don’t like to see mediocrity rewarded. They also argue that the current point structure encourages teams to play conservatively when the score is tied, aiming to guarantee themselves one point before taking their chances in overtime.
The voices that speak out loudest against the ‘loser point’ usually propose the 3-2-1-0 system as the best alternative. In essence, it adds even more volume to the system by awarding an extra ‘winner point’ to teams that can finish the job in 60 minutes.
Regulation wins earn three points, an overtime or shootout win is two points, an overtime or shootout loss is one point, and a regulation loss earns nothing.
IIHF competition and the PWHL use this system. The 4 Nations Face-Off also used it, the first time the NHL ever used it at one of its own international events.
With the tournament’s brief three-game round-robin, the league was probably looking for the best method to ensure that the two teams who’d play for the championship could be identified clearly without employing a long list of tiebreakers.
In the end, there was one tie, but the outcome was clear enough. By the time Sweden beat the U.S. in the final round-robin game, Canada had already locked up second place — holding the tiebreaker because they’d beaten the Swedes in their head-to-head matchup.
(Don’t see the table? Click here.)
4 Nations Face-Off: The NHL Finally Gave The Players What They Wanted, And The Players Delivered Almost 15 years to the day from when Sidney Crosby scored the Golden Goal for Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Connor McDavid grabbed the torch and
scored the decisive overtime goal to win the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Now, on to the big question. What if the NHL was using the three-point system in the regular season? How would that affect this year’s ultra-tight race in the Eastern Conference?
Wonder no more. The great folks at Natural Stat Trick have been tracking this option for years.
In the 2024-25 standings, there isn’t a lot of change through Monday night’s games. But there’s one interesting shift in each conference.
Eastern Conference
In the East, the top three teams in each division all hold their spots. But there is some intrigue in the wild-card race.
With 26 regulation wins, the New York Rangers would benefit significantly from the three-point system. Instead of being two points out of the playoffs, they’d jump to the first wild card and bump the Red Wings, Senators, Blue Jackets and Bruins all down one spot in the standings.
The system would also bump the Flyers out of the contending pack, thanks to just 16 regulation wins.
Based on the current NHL system, teams listed in bold are in a playoff spot. Teams in italics and shaded would move using the 3-2-1-0 format.
(Don’t see the table? Click here.)
Can Igor Shesterkin Save The New York Rangers This Season? The New York Rangers made goaltender Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid goalie in NHL history in December, but he hasn’t played like it.
Western Conference
In the Western Conference, all eight playoff positions remain unchanged.
The only shift in the order comes just below that. With one additional regulation win and the same number of games played, the St. Louis Blues would move ahead of the Utah Hockey Club into 10th place, based on the tiebreaker.
With 20 regulation wins, the Seattle Kraken would also improve their position, but their high number of games played remains an obstacle to a meaningful playoff push.
(Don’t see the table? Click here.)
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