There’s been no doubt that the 2025-26 season has been a disaster for the New Jersey Devils; in a season where they were supposed to see a leap forward, they instead took a huge step backwards. With that being said, the Eastern Conference has been unprecedentedly competitive. There’s a possibility that even the second wild card team will need 100 points to make the playoffs.
Related: NHL 2025-26 Power Rankings: Week 21
How Much of a Difference Does 3-2-1 Make?
The Devils have 35 wins and occupy seventh place in the Metropolitan Division (72 points). The Pittsburgh Penguins also have 35 victories, yet sit all the way up in second place (86 points).
The difference, of course, is that the Penguins have extended 22 of their games past regulation to ensure at least a point (31.4%). The Devils have only done so with 14 of theirs (20.3%). Those extra points make a big difference as the season carries on.
The rules are the same for everyone, so nothing is inherently “unfair” in the rules themselves. At the end of the day, the Devils need to be better at pushing games past regulation. When trailing after two, they’ve earned a point in just two of the 26 games (7.7%). For comparison purposes, the Penguins have come out with point(s) in six of 20 (30%).
With that all in consideration, there are many arguments towards the validity of 3-on-3 hockey, and even more so with shootouts, in terms of how accurately a strictly skills-based competition can lead to a fair winner for each game.
The purpose of this isn’t to debate that — instead, it’s to see if switching to a widely-accepted 3-2-1 points system would drastically change anything. This system — which awards three points for a regulation win, two for an extra session win, and one for an extra session loss — has been used by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), various European leagues, and was even used by the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 4 Nations Face-Off. It encourages teams to win in regulation, rather than coasting in important games to ensure they will walk away with half of a win (at absolute worst).
Current Standings
Here are the current Metropolitan Division Standings with the current rules (two points for any win, one point for an overtime/shootout loss):
Carolina Hurricanes: 45-19-6, 96 PTS
Pittsburgh Penguins: 35-19-16, 86 PTS
Columbus Blue Jackets: 37-22-11, 85 PTS
New York Islanders: 40-26-5, 85 PTS
Philadelphia Flyers: 34-23-12, 80 PTS
Washington Capitals: 35-27-9, 79 PTS
New Jersey Devils: 35-32-2, 72 PTS
New York Rangers: 28-34-9, 65 PTS
3-2-1 Standings Outlook
Here’s what a 3-2-1 system would look like right now in the Metro:
Carolina Hurricanes: 32-13-6-19, 128 PTS
Pittsburgh Penguins: 29-6-16-19, 115 PTS
Columbus Blue Jackets: 26-11-11-22, 111 PTS
New York Islanders: 26-14-5-26, 111 PTS
Washington Capitals: 30-5-9-27, 109 PTS
Philadelphia Flyers: 21-13-12-23, 101 PTS
New Jersey Devils: 23-12-2-32, 95 PTS
New York Rangers: 19-9-9-34, 84 PTS
Final Thoughts
As for the Devils’ sake, they’d still be towards the bottom. The Penguins would remain in second place. Sure, the Penguins’ 16 extra session losses help, compared to the Devils’ two, but here’s the real dagger for the Devils: their 23 regulation wins is six fewer than the Penguins — a difference of a whole 18 points.
The most eye-popping change is between the Capitals and Flyers. In the current system, the Flyers (21 regulation wins) have a one-point edge over Washington (30 regulation wins). However, in a 3-2-1 system, the Caps would be rightfully rewarded for their regulation success with an eight-point lead over Philly.
While it may not be what Devils fans want to see, this system allows for a more accurate representation of each team’s success, rather than being too reliant on the skills-based 3v3 and shootout sessions. If you think 3-2-1 is still unfair, remember that many pro sports don’t offer any reward for extending a game past regulation; basketball teams don’t go home happy because they got a game to overtime. Neither do baseball teams for getting a game into extra innings.
We’ve seen more parity than ever before in the NHL this season. The 3-2-1 system would be a great way to separate the contenders and the pretenders, while still keeping late season hockey exciting. (Remember: in the 3-2-1 system, a nine-point deficit could potentially be made up in as little as three games as opposed to five.)
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