Title
Inefficiencies in the National Hockey League Points System and the Teams That Take Advantage
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
Published In
Journal of Sports Economics
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
410-424
DOI
10.1177/1527002513486654
Recommended Citation
Michael J. Lopez, “Inefficiencies in the National Hockey League’s Points System and the Teams that Take Advantage,” Journal of Sports Economics, 2013 (online first), 16-4
Abstract
In the current National Hockey League (NHL) points system (PS), there are increased incentives for teams to play overtime games against nonconference opponents. We use empirical data across three recent NHL PSs to test if and when teams have responded to these incentives. We find that in the current PS, several teams are playing a significantly higher proportion of overtime games against nonconference opponents than within-conference ones, and that overtime games are also significantly more likely to occur in the months leading up to postseason play.
Keywords
National Hockey League, overtime, incentives, scoring systems
Comments
Published online before print, April 29, 2013
doi:10.1177/1527002513486654