NHL's OT and Shootout Explosion Shakes Up Standings

This 2025-26 NHL season sees 29.6% of games stretching into overtime, blowing past last year's 20.7% and the salary cap era average of 23%. Teams like the Canadiens rack up wild 12-0-10 OT records while the league paces for a record 369 loser points, injecting chaos into the parity-packed standings. Front offices whisper about how this OT frenzy warps playoff races and trade deadline calculus, with every extra session handing out points that nobody saw coming.