Losing and Gaining

The madness that is the charity point for an overtime, or shootout lose, worked in the Habs favour last night. I am philosophically against the idea of rewarding a losing team with points, it tends to lead to boring hockey late in the third period if the game is tied, teams sit back and try and insure themselves' of at least the point. I want my team to play for the win at all times. The charity point has lead to NHL parity, which the NHL brass was striving for, it sees teams that should have no business competing for a playoff spot, for example, the Oilers, the Bruins, the Coyotes, and the Panthers, still in the playoff race. Great if you are a fan of those aforementioned teams, but not good if you are a fan of hockey played at a high level. I will take the point for a lose last night, it has propelled my guys into a tie at the top of the Eastern Conference, but I would love the NHL brain trust to rethink the whole thing. The playoffs are approaching, and I can't wait, no more playing for a point, no more skills competition shootout, its win or lose, and thats how I like it.