What if we had an Olympic point system?

Here is our first look of the 2011/12 standings as if there was a different points system. The most popular solution is to dish out three points per game (and the one I’m in favor of the most) like they do in the Olympics.

A regulation win would be worth three points apiece, whereas an overtime/shootout victory will get you just two. The loser in extra time would still get a single point. The tiebreaker at the end of the year would be total wins, followed by regulation wins.

I’m a big supporter of this system (which was used at the 2010 Olympics), and did some ‘research’ as to what the standings would look like if this was indeed how we handed out the points. It would create more excitement for the final two minutes of regulation in a tied game. Also, this eliminates all of the extra point crap when a game goes to OT, plus rewards teams for getting the job done in 60 minutes.

Here’s what this year’s standings would look like through Monday’s action…

Key: Pts… (Reg. W – OT/SO W – OTL)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins, 42… (10-4-4)
2. Boston Bruins, 40… (11-3-1)
3. Florida Panthers, 39… (11-1-4)
4. Philadelphia Flyers, 41… (12-1-3)
5. Toronto Maple Leafs, 40… (10-4-2)
6. Buffalo Sabres, 37… (10-3-1)
7. New York Rangers, 37… (10-2-3)
8. Washington Capitals, 32… (7-5-1)
9. Ottawa Senators, 32… (8-3-2)
10. New Jersey Devils, 31… (6-6-1)
11. Tampa Bay Lightning, 31… (7-4-2)
12. Montreal Canadiens, 31… (7-3-4)
13. Winnipeg Jets, 30… (8-1-4)
14. Carolina Hurricanes, 28… (8-0-4)
15. New York Islanders, 22… (6-0-4)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Chicago Blackhawks, 42… (11-3-3)
2. Minnesota Wild, 41… (10-4-3)
3. Dallas Stars, 39… (10-4-1)
4. Detroit Red Wings, 41… (12-2-1)
5. St. Louis Blues, 39… (11-2-2)
6. Vancouver Canucks, 38… (11-2-1)
7. San Jose Sharks, 37… (10-3-1)
8. Edmonton Oilers, 37… (11-1-2)
9. Phoenix Coyotes, 37… (10-2-3)
10. Los Angeles Kings, 37… (9-3-4)
11. Nashville Predators, 36… (10-1-4)
12. Calgary Flames, 28… (9-0-1)
13. Colorado Avalanche, 26… (5-5-1)
14. Anaheim Ducks, 21… (5-1-4)
15. Columbus Blue Jackets, 20… (5-1-3)