Point (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, point has four contemporary meanings:

A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season.

Points are also awarded to assess standings (or rankings). For winning a match, a team earns two or three points in the standings. When a team ties, they earn one point. Often, there are no ties (in the NHL as a result of many rule changes after the 2004–05 NHL lockout). However, a rule that was instituted in the 1999–2000 NHL season makes it so that when a team loses in overtime, they shall earn one point for making it to overtime. This rule includes shootouts, which were instituted after the aforementioned lockout. Teams that win in overtime or shootout receive a bonus point together with the point they received for the initial draw.

When a team is in the offensive zone, the area near the blue line and the boards is referred to as "the point". When a team is on the power play, its defencemen usually take up positions at the point. The name is taken from the former names of the defence positions, point and cover point, as first developed in the 19th century, the earliest days of ice hockey's development.

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