Senators' Wild Card Chase Would Be Even More Interesting If The NHL Moved To Three-Point System

Most ardent Senators fans could easily quote their team's position in the NHL wild card standings without even looking. That's because most fans have been engaged in, since at least the end of the Olympic break, the time-honoured tradition of scoreboard watching. Those same ardent fans also know that the Sens have gone 7-2-2 in that timeframe yet they've barely put a dent in closing the wild card gap.

Part of the reason for this is the dreaded three-point games, where the overtime winner gets two points, and the loser gets one. It's the foundation for some teams being in a playoff spot. Except for teams like Tampa Bay, which have only lost in overtime or a shootout four times all season, the majority of teams are relying on these “loser points," and it's almost impossible to make the playoffs without them.

In addition to scoreboard watching, Senators fans are also watching opponents' games live, and the Boston Bruins OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens on St. Paddy’s Day gave rise to the need for a solution. In watching this game, it was hard not to notice how each team played a very passive game where each wanted to win.

But they didn't play with a “risk vs reward” approach because there was no incentive to do so. Making sure their respective teams got at least one point was more important than getting two in regulation. Would the league, and not just the Ottawa Senators, not benefit from adopting the 3-2-1-0 scoring system that is used in the World Championships, World Juniors, Olympics, and the PWHL?