For some reason, fans bash the overtime point. For those not acquainted with hockey, the standings are determined by points. The winner gets 2 points and if a team loses in regulation they get no points. If they lose in overtime and the shootout they get 1 point. Yet some fans bash it. I like it because I feel like it can really benefit struggling teams. It also increases parity in the league. If there was no overtime point, there would only be even number of points. This further increases the odds of a tie which means that complicated tiebreakers no one like will be implemented more. Overtime is the simplest tiebreaker and it has a lot of benefits. Also the shootout has merit too. The shootout helped stop the terrible tie which was a complete waste of time. Fans want to see a game concluded. Yet you can’t play in overtime forever. The playoffs have continuous sudden death overtime because it is a matter of life and death. The regular season isn’t. A shootout is used to help games reach their rightful conclusions. Otherwise a game might never end. While that is helpful in the playoffs, the regular season has 82 games within 180 days. Players need rest and they cannot afford 6 hour games. Yet ties leave fans unsatisfied. Another benefit of the shootout is highlight reel goals. Without the shootout, we wouldn’t be able to watch the phenomenal skill of many shootout talents like Patrick Kane, T.J. Oshie and Aleksander Barkov. This is why things need to stay the way they are. I know fans complain about loser points, but at the end of the day all fan has one hope for their team. A stanley cup victory. And if loser points can help then let’s keep them!