What the standings would look like if NHL counted only Ws and Ls

This weekend the NHL takes a big timeout in the schedule for the All Star Game. And one of the things I like to do during such breaks…or like last year when they take a two-week hiatus for the Winter Olympics…is to examine the overall standings while they sit still for a few days. But I don’t just look at where the 30 teams in the league find themselves in the conventional standings…with two points given out for wins and one for an overtime loss…but also where things would stand if the NHL simply counted wins and losses as they do in Major League Baseball, the NBA and NFL.

Call it the Ws and Ls standard, if you will.

I did this last season when the league halted for the Vancouver Games. Then, I found that only minor change. But this year there are a few teams that would benefit greatly if this were the case…and a few that would see their position in the standings adversely affected.

First, lets have a look at the standings today as the NHL calculates them. As you can see, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Boston would be the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference since they lead their respective conferences. The Western Conference leaders are Vancouver, Detroit and Dallas in that order.

Pittsburgh, Washington, the Rangers, Montreal and the Atlanta Thrashers currently rest in spots five through eighth to round out those currently in playoff spots. Close behind is Carolina in ninth place in the conference, then there’s Buffalo, Florida, Toronto, Ottawa falling in line behind. Finally, the New York Islanders and New Jersey are bringing up the rear.

Out west it’s Nashville, Anaheim, Phoenix, Chicago and San Jose currently holding wild card spots. Colorado, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Calgary, St. Louis and Columbus are on the outside looking in while Edmonton needs a telescope to see all the way into the playoff window. However, it must be noted that both the Sharks and Avs hold identical 25-19-6 records while Chicago has a 26-20-4 record. All three have 56 overall points.

Now, let’s see how that might change under the Ws and Ls standard.

East Conference

Division Leaders and Top 3 Seeds

1. PHI        33-17       .660%

If the NHL simply counted wins and losses in the standings, the Atlanta Thrashers would not be holding a playoff position at the All Star break (AP Photo/David Goldman)

2. TBL      31-20       .608%

3. BOS      28-22      .560%

Wild Card Race

4. PIT        31-19       .620%

5. NYR      29-23       .558%

6. MTL      27-23       .540%

7. WAS      27-24      .529%

8. CAR      25-25      .500%

Outside Looking In

9. BUF       23-26      .469%

10. ATL     24-28      .462%

11. FLA     22-27      .449%

12. TOR    19-30      .388%

13. OTT    17-33      .340%

14. NJD     16-33      .327%

15. NYI      15-34      .306%

Western Conference

Division Leaders and Top 3 Seeds

1. VAN      31-19      .620%

Under the Ws and Ls standard, Phoenix would fall down in the standings while the LA Kings would be tied for the fourth spot in the Western Conference (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

2. DET      30-19      .612%

3. DAL      30-20      .600%

Wild Card Race

4. NAS      27-33      .540%

5. LAK      27-23      .540%

6. ANA      28-24      .538%

7. CHI       26-24      .520%

8. MIN      25-24       .510%

Outside Looking In

9. SJS       25-25       .500%

10. COL    25-25      .500%

11. PHO    25-26      .490%

12. CAL    24-27      .471%

13. CLB     23-26     .469%

14. STL     22-27     .449%

15. EDM    15-34     .306%

As would be expected, in this scenario there are a handful of teams that either slide up or down in the standings slightly. But there are a few that move significantly…even into or out of a playoff spot.

Starting in the east, there would be no change in the division leaders or their seeding in the conference. Pittsburgh and Washington would also remain where they are now, fourth and fifth. However, the Capitals would move down from the fifth seed to the seventh. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens would each slide up on place.

That brings us to the eighth spot in the conference, the place where you’d normally expect to see the Atlanta Thrashers. But in this scenario, not only would they fall out of that eighth and final playoff slot, they would actually fall to tenth place in the conference…Carolina and Buffalo each moving ahead of Atlanta.

If you consider the standings in the same fashion you would in baseball, the Thrashers would be 7.0 games behind SE division leading Tampa Bay …3.5 behind the Caps and 2.0 behind the Canes. What’s worse, they would be 3 games behind Carolina in the loss column.

So as you can see, the Thrashers and Capitals would be negatively affected under the Ws and Ls standard…both slipping two rungs down the standings ladder. Carolina would benefit most as they would move from the ‘outside looking in” category to having a seat at the playoff position table.

Regardless of whether or not the NHL counts only Ws and Ls or the current points system, Daniel Carcillo and his Philly teammates are flying high atop the standings (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The bottom of the Eastern Conference remains unchanged with the exception of the NY Islanders residing in last place instead of the New Jersey Devils. The Panthers would still be scratching around in eleventh place, Toronto would continue to waffle in twelfth and Ottawa would remain where they ought to be, in thirteenth.

But where we find the biggest “winner” and “loser” in this little exercise is out west.

The Los Angeles Kings, are currently in last place in the Pacific Division and eleventh place in the Western Conference with 55 points, would actually find themselves in second place in the division. Also, LA would find themselves tied with the Nashville Predators for the fourth spot in the conference… both with 27-23 records.

As it is, Los Angeles has but one, solitary loss past regulation time this season…that being a 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on December 11.

Falling most here would be the Phoenix Coyotes. Currently, their 25-17-9 record and 59 points place them as the sixth seed in the west, one point behind the Ducks and three ahead of the Blackhawks, Avalanche and Sharks. But here, they tumble to eleventh place…one-half game behind San Jose and Colorado. The Yotes would also be 1.0 behind the Minnesota Wild, who would stand in the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference.

As things stand in the current standings, the Wild are in tenth place…one point removed from a playoff slot.

So if we just considered Ws and Ls in the standings, the Kings would be given a royal boost in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference, Minnesota fans could go wild by seeing their team holding a playoff position at this time…but Coyotes fans would be left howling.

Finally… I do think it’s worth mentioning here that if the NHL did in fact use the Ws and Ls standard, it would have made no difference in who qualified for the playoffs last spring. The only difference is that a couple of the teams would have had different seedings.

By: Bill Tiller – AJC.com Thrashers Fan Blog