ESPN – Having trouble figuring out this season? Here are my three big reasons – NHL

ESPN – Having trouble figuring out this season? Here are my three big reasons – NHL:

Three-point games keep everyone in the playoff picture. The games become conservative as they progress and tend to get unleashed after a point is secured when 4-on-4 play begins. My answer to that is to give every team a point just for showing up!

I’m more and more coming to hate overtime points. It rewards the wrong damn thing: not winning in regulation. Why is a game where you DON’T SUCCEED worth more than one where you do?

So here’s my recoommendation.

Regulation win: 3 points to the winner, zero to the loser.
Overtime win: 2 points to the winner, 1 to the loser.
Shootout win: 2 points to the winner, zero to the loser.

In all cases, you give teams the incentive to GO FOR IT ALREADY, not hang back and wait for the point. Don’t get it done early, it costs you.

Or if you’re one of those people religiously tied to two points for a win, then use 2-0, 2-1, 1-0. Again, make overtime and shootouts worth progressively less, not more. And watch the last five minutes of regulation go crazy.

(heck, I’m also in favor of (a) dry scraping the ice before overtime, (b) ten minute overtime, (c) THEN shootout, if we haven’t decided it. Chances are, we’ll rarely see a shootout. which is fine by me)

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