People often ask, with good reason, why the NHL persists in having some games be worth two points in the standings, and others worth three.

It doesn't make a lot of sense on paper, but in actual practice we can see that it's about creating a sort of fake parity that allows teams that aren't really in a playoff race to say, "We're only five points out of it." It's transparent to just about everyone except fans who want to have optimism about their team, and media members/partners who have a vested interest in making sure people are paying attention to the team for as long as possible.

And most of the time, it does come across as total BS, because most of the time, it is total BS. But not this season.

Say what you want about the quality of the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelph