A regulation win is worth two points in the NHL standings. The winning team receives two points, while the losing team receives none when the game ends during regulation time.
NHL standings points are designed to reward wins while also recognizing teams that remain competitive in games decided after regulation. A team earns two points for any win, whether in regulation, overtime, or a shootout. A team that loses in overtime or a shootout receives one point, while a regulation loss earns zero.
This system can cause a standings table to look different from a simple win-loss ranking. For example, two teams with the same number of wins may have different point totals if one has accumulated more overtime losses. The familiar three-point game system used in some other sports is not used in the NHL; an NHL game offers a maximum of two combined standings points.