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NHL hockey standings are computed on the basis of a teams' accumulated points from the regular season of 82 games, based against the other teams' points totals from within their respective Conferences, Eastern and Western. With fifteen teams per Conference, and three Divisions per Conference, there are five teams per Division. When a team wins in regulation time ( after the initial three periods of twenty minutes per period ), they are awarded two points, and the losers get no points. When a team wins in overtime ( where the two teams play with four players each plus the goalies for five minutes of sudden death hockey, the first team to score wins ), during the regular season, or in the shoot-out period after an inconclusive overtime period, ( where the two take turns with a penalty shot type scenario, alternating teams, with the team with most goals in the shoot-out being awarded one goal, even if they needed six goals to win the shoot-out ) both teams are awarded one point, and the eventual winner is awarded an overtime win point. In the playoffs, after the conclusion of the regular season, there are no points awarded to losing teams.

The overtime points (OP's) can add greatly to a teams' success in making the playoffs. This year, the New York rangers accumulated 13 overtime points, the most for this year of any team in the NHL. Overtime points are basically points awarded for losing a game, but not in regulation time. If a team has 40 wins and 12 overtime losses, they get a total of 92 points. If another team has 45 wins and no overtime losses, they will end up with one point less than the team with 5 less victories with 90 points.

At the end of the regular season, all of the teams' points are totaled, wins being worth two points, and overtime losses one point. The leader of each division within the Conferences are awarded the top three positions in their Conference, then the team with the next highest points total is awarded the fourth position. The team awarded the fourth position often has more points than the third place team. For this to happen, a team in one Division would have more points than the leading team in another Division, as the Division leaders are awarded the first, second and third place finishes in each of the two Conferences, and the third highest team point total would be seeded fourth in the playoffs in this scenario.

The team that finishes first overall in the regular season is awarded the President's Trophy, and is given home-ice advantage

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