The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) began their inaugural season on New Year’s Day with New York shutting out Toronto 4-0 in the opening game. The new league provides a lot of intrigue not only because of the potential for it to take off but also for how it will differ from the NHL.
Related: PWHL Shines in League Opener on New Year’s Day
Some of the new rules have already stood out. They make the game look unique and from a coaching and team-building perspective, they force teams to adapt. The question must be asked, would the New York Islanders and other teams around the NHL benefit if the PWHL rules were in effect? One rule change stands out as it would appear to help out the Islanders, notably with one player having a breakout season.
Holmstrom’s Power Killing Ability
Simon Holmstrom had a rookie season to forget, scoring only six goals and three assists in 50 games played. Thirty games into this season, he’s found a valuable role in the forward unit and it’s on the penalty kill. He has 10 goals and four assists but five of his goals have been scored shorthanded which leads the league and often lifts the Islanders to victories. The goals are often created as he picks the puck up off of turnovers and snipes it on the rush against a power play unit that isn’t in position to stop him.
In the PWHL, a penalty is killed once a shorthanded goal is scored. While the Islanders’ penalty kill is a weakness this season, killing off only 73.39 percent of opportunities, the unit would catch a lot of breaks with the ability to find the back of the net. Shorthanded goals by Holmstrom would have the team playing five-on-five hockey more often than not and it would make the young forward’s play even more valuable on the forward unit.
Holmstrom singlehandedly would flip the penalty kill from a weakness into a strength. Moreover, it would turn the Islanders into a more complete team. That said, the rule change would force the Islanders to adapt their style of play on the power play as well.
Islanders’ Power Play Would Look Different
The Islanders have only allowed one goal on the power play this season and the unit, which was a liability last season, is now one of the best in the NHL. They’ve scored on 23 percent of opportunities with Noah Dobson operating the unit from the point while Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Brock Nelson create scoring chances from deep in the offensive zone.
That said, the unit would have to adjust and be cognizant of the power kill. A goal the other way is rare but something a lot of coaches will have in the back of their heads and Lane Lambert specifically, would occasionally play a second defenseman on the ice.
Dobson is having a remarkable season and has proven he can eliminate odd-man rush chances, making him an ideal skater to play the point on the top power-play unit (his scoring production also helps). However, outside of him, the defensive unit has struggled and it would force Lambert’s hand on the second power-play unit and the Islanders wouldn’t look as potent on the man advantage because of it.
PWHL’s Point System Wouldn’t Help
The PWHL has a point system that rewards teams that win in regulation and while it rewards an overtime loss, it’s not to the same extent. In short, teams earn three points for a win and only one point for overtime losses. For the Islanders, it would leave them multiple points behind in the standings because they don’t have as many regular season wins as their Metropolitan Division rivals.
Under the PWHL point system, the Islanders would have 60 standing points while the Philadephia Flyers, a team they are tied with points-wise, would have 62 points. Even the New Jersey Devils, who they currently lead by three points, would be right on their heels with 59 points. The Carolina Hurricanes meanwhile, who hold a slim one-point lead over them, would have 64 points, a four-point cushion. Suddenly, in all those games the Islanders squandered late leads but ended up with a point with overtime wouldn’t feel like such great compensation. The 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on Dec. 15 kept an eight-game point streak alive but under the PWHA rules, would make the defeat all the more devastating.
Speaking of shootouts, the PWHL has five rounds instead of three and a skater can take multiple attempts to help out their team. The Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs are teams that would likely benefit from this as skilled skaters like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon would be given multiple opportunities. What about the Islanders? Well, they haven’t been a great shootout team in recent seasons with a 2-8 record since the 2022-23 season. That said, Barzal and Horvat are two skaters capable of scoring on the breakaway who Lambert would likely rely on under those rules. It wouldn’t turn them into a great shootout team but at the very least, it would upgrade them.
Why PWHL’s Unique Rules Are Significant
There’s no question the NHL is closely watching the PWHL and how the league fares. Along with hoping the league takes off, the NHL will look for a few ideas to use in future seasons if they make the game better. Major League Baseball (MLB) saw how the pitch clock was a success in some of the minor leagues and implemented it ahead of the 2023 season. It made baseball a more entertaining game for fans and attendance increased. The NFL has seen many competitors in its 105-year history and while the other leagues have folded, their ideas have stayed from the spider cam to the two-point conversion to the salary cap.
The PWHL isn’t the first unique league with different rules or features than the NHL. However, some of the changes are groundbreaking and could not only make the league popular but help out the NHL as well.
