Ok so the quarter mark is a little past but I’m getting to it now so shut up. As a reminder, I like to occasionally take a look at what the NHL standings would look like if they had a standings system that was actually logical. So basically, we’re going to remove overtime results from the equation, and anything that goes beyond 60 minutes is a tie. So this is purely regulation results. First, your actual NHL standings:
| Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | OL | PTS |
| Boston Bruins | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 33 |
| Florida Panthers | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 29 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 27 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 24 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 22 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 23 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 22 |
| Ottawa Senators | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 21 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
| Metropolitan Division | GP | W | L | OL | PTS |
| Washington Capitals | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| New York Islanders | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 33 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 27 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 26 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 26 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 21 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 22 |
| New York Rangers | 19 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 20 |
| New Jersey Devils | 20 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 18 |
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OL | PTS |
| St. Louis Blues | 23 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 33 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 |
| Dallas Stars | 23 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 28 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 27 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 22 |
| Nashville Predators | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 21 |
| Minnesota Wild | 22 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 20 |
| Pacific Division | GP | W | L | OL | PTS |
| Edmonton Oilers | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 23 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 28 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 23 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 26 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 23 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| San Jose Sharks | 23 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 23 |
| Calgary Flames | 25 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 23 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 19 |
Ok, now let’s throw out OT.
| Atlantic Division | GP | W | RW | L | OL | T | PTS |
| Boston Bruins | 22 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 33 |
| Florida Panthers | 22 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 22 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 24 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 24 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 21 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 22 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 20 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 20 |
| Ottawa Senators | 22 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 19 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 24 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| Metropolitan Division | GP | W | RW | L | OL | T | PTS |
| Washington Capitals | 24 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 30 |
| New York Islanders | 20 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 27 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 22 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 23 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 22 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 22 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 22 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 22 |
| New York Rangers | 19 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 19 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 21 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 18 |
| New Jersey Devils | 20 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| Central Division | GP | W | RW | L | OL | T | PTS |
| St. Louis Blues | 23 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 28 |
| Dallas Stars | 23 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 26 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 22 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 25 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 23 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 21 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 22 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 20 |
| Nashville Predators | 21 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| Minnesota Wild | 22 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Pacific Division | GP | W | RW | L | OL | T | PTS |
| Edmonton Oilers | 24 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 28 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 23 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 24 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 24 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 24 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 23 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 23 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 23 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 22 |
| San Jose Sharks | 23 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 20 |
| Calgary Flames | 25 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 22 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
Over in the WestSo what are some differences? Well, the Bruins are even more the class of the league, and the Panthers are trailing by some distance. The Capitals have an incredible 10 ties in 24 games, and come back to the pack a little more. Carolina and Pittsburgh swap places. Carolina and Philly are your wild card teams in the East.
Over in the West, the Blues come back to the pack a little, the Stars and Avs swap places, and the Hawks, Preds, and Wild are tied in a group of sadness, having only the Flames and the Kings beat. And the Flames are probably having all their shoestrings removed. The Hawks would be only two points out of a playoff spot though, instead of the current four they are now. Arizona would fall from second to fourth in their division. Arizona and Anaheim would be your wild cards.
Just some food for thought.
