According to Frank Seravalli's column and EJ Hradek of ESPN, the NHL will approve a rule change of how tiebreakers will be used at the end of the season.
The change is in the event a tiebreaker is needed at the end of the season to determine playoff seeds.
The tiebreaker is still total wins, however the only wins considered are those in regulation and overtime. Prior to this ruling it was all of a team's wins (regulation, overtime, and shootout).
Here's my take on the rule:
-It's unnecessary: Why is this needed? If a team wins a game, they win a game. The NHL can only blame themselves since they instituted the shootout in the first place.
-Mindset: This changes nothing on the ice itself. Teams are still going to execute their game plans in order to win, even if that means stalling to the shootout. Teams with shootout skill depth (Penguins, Blackhawks, etc.) have no more incentive to go for it all at the end of overtime now than they did last year.
-Over-the-Top: Another rule being considered is switching from 4 on 4 in overtime to 3 on 3 with less than three minutes to play. How much more can the game be devolved? The game was meant to be played 5 on 5, not in a roller hockey, nonsense style.
We'll see if the changes have an actual impact come April. Training camp is just around the corner get ready!
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