How Does the NHL Point System Work?

The NHL point system is a bit confusing, but we’re here to help. Read on to learn how the NHL point system works and how it affects the standings.

The Basics

In the National Hockey League, the point system is a means of determining which team will advance to the playoffs if two or more teams are tied in the standings when the regular season ends. There are three factors that are used in the NHL point system: wins, losses, and overtime losses.

How many points are awarded for a win/loss/overtime loss?

In the NHL, a win is worth two points, a loss is worth zero points, and an overtime or shootout loss is worth one point.

What is the difference between a regulation win and an overtime/shootout win?

In the NHL, there are two different types of wins – regulation wins and overtime/shootout wins. A regulation win is when a team wins in regulation time, which is 60 minutes. An overtime/shootout win is when a team wins in either overtime or a shootout. In overtime, each team gets 5 minutes of extra time to try and score a goal. If no goals are scored in overtime, then the game goes to a shootout. In a shootout, each team gets 3 shots on goal from their best players. If the score is still tied after the shootout, then the game ends in a tie.

The Standings

In the National Hockey League, the point system is a means of determining which team will make the playoffs. The league standings are based on a team’s wins, losses, and overtime losses. In the NHL, a win is worth two points, a loss is worth zero points, and an overtime loss is worth one point.

How are the standings calculated?

NHL standings are calculated using a points system. In this system, teams are awarded two points for each win and one point for each overtime or shootout loss. No points are awarded for regulation losses.

What is the difference between a team’s points and their point percentage?

In the NHL, a team is awarded two points for a win, one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout, and zero points for a regulation loss. A team’s point total is the sum of all of their individual game points.

A team’s point percentage is calculated by dividing the number of points they have earned by the total possible points they could have earned. For example, if a team has played 40 games and earned 80 points, their point percentage would be .500 ((80/2)/(40)).

The Playoffs

How many teams make the playoffs?

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified for the playoffs. Eight teams are seeded in each conference: the top three seeds in each division plus two wild-card teams. The playoffs are conducted in four rounds of best-of-seven series. The winners of each round advance to the next round with the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the NHL playoff champion at the end of the Finals.

How are the playoffs seeded?

At the end of the regular season, the top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs. The next two teams with the most points in each conference also qualify, regardless of division, for what are called the “wild card” spots.

The playoffs are then a best-of-seven series between these 16 qualifying teams. The team that has more points in the standings plays the wild card team; within divisions, it is always the higher seed that has home-ice advantage (i.e., series start at their home rink). However, if a wild card team has more points than any team in its division, it would play a division winner with fewer points; and in this case, that lower seed would have home-ice advantage.

The four remaining teams are seeded by their conference totals. The 1st and 2nd seeds receive a first-round bye while the 3rd and 4th seeds compete against each other in what is called the “play-in” game or “qualifying” round. The winner of this game moves on to play one of the conference’s top seeds in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs proper.

What is the format of the playoffs?

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified by having one of the top 16 records in the National Hockey League (NHL) at the end of the regular season. The playoffs were originally established in 1892 as a four-team tournament and have since been expanded several times, most recently in 2013 when the league realigned its teams into a more uniform structure.