When I watch ESPN highlights, hockey teams are displayed with their record next to their name and it looks kind of like: Oilers, 25-13-2-1. I can understand what three of the numbers represent, that is win, lose and tie, but what is the fourth.
The fourth number is overtime wins. Before this season, overtime wins were just placed along with all the other wins. IIRC, overtime wins are also worth one more point in the standings.
“Life is hard…but God is good”
Do you mean they’re worth one more point than regulation-time wins? If so, what’s the logic in that? Seems to me to be less of an achievement to have to go into extra time to win a game.
Ok, let me revise. Both teams now get one point if they go into overtime. Last season you didn’t get any points if you lost in OT, but now you get a point, even if you lose. And the winner of OT gets two points, like a normal win. Does that help?
“Life is hard…but God is good”
The overtime loss is also included in the loss column, so only the first three numbers are added to calculate the total number of games played.
This was one of a few changes made in the way overtime is played this season. The other was giving each team one less person on the ice, making it four on four, which creates more open space and the possibility for more games that do not end in a tie.
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-Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
The format is actually:
Wins-Losses-Ties-Regulation Ties
A regulation tie is an overtime loss, the difference being that you still get one point for having made it to overtime. As hightechburrito mentioned, an overtime loss is recorded as both a loss and a regulation tie, which means the team record added across the board no longer equals total games played. A win is a win is a win, however, and games won in overtime are still worth two points and recorded only in the Wins column.
Just what the NHL needed, in my opinion - a way to further confuse non-fans and turn people off to what can be the fastest-paced, most interesting team sport to watch.
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too. . .