[discostu]

The problem with the NHL OT system is it actually encourages teams to relax the last few minutes of regulation to “preserve” a point, the last 5 minutes of tied regulation are boring. And having value of the games vary on how long they take stinks. If they must vary the points by length it should go the reverse:
3 points for a regulation win
2 points for an OT win
1 point for a shootout win
0 points for losers no matter when they lose
That would encourage teams to play all out and score all the time, not just a burst of energy in OT for the second point.

[Alberta's Child]

Good point. But I don't think I'd like a system with varying the value of wins while keeping the value of a loss fixed. I would prefer a system where every game is worth 3 points. If the game ends in regulation, the winner gets 3 points and the loser gets 0. If it ends in OT, the winner gets 2 and the loser 1.

For me, giving the losing team in OT one point isn't a reward for failure so much as an acknowledgement that the OT period was played under a 3-on-3 scenario that simply isn't the same as normal hockey rules.

No shootouts -- period.