The whole point of hockey is to win games. But right now, the Vegas Golden Knights are not doing that better than most teams in their own division.

And yet, they are still sitting at the top of the Pacific Division.

That sounds strange. But there is a reason.

Vegas does not win the most games. In fact, they are fifth in their division when it comes to wins. Anaheim has 29 wins. Edmonton has 28. San Jose has 27. Seattle has 26. Vegas only has 25.

So how are they still leading.

The answer is overtime losses.

In the NHL, you get 2 points for a win. But you also get 1 point if you lose in overtime. Vegas has mastered that part. They have already lost 14 games in overtime this season. That is a lot.

Edmonton has only 8 overtime losses. Seattle has 9. Anaheim has just 3.

Those extra points add up.

That is why the standings look different from the win totals. Vegas has 64 points. Edmonton also has 64. Seattle and Anaheim have 61. The Kings are close behind with 60. San Jose has 58. Everything is tight.

One or two games can flip the entire division.

This is why people argue about the overtime loss point. A post on X even said it might be time to get rid of it completely.

Some fans think earning a point for losing makes sense. Teams fight hard to reach overtime. They stay tied for 60 minutes. That effort feels worth something.

Others disagree. They say hockey always has a winner and a loser. It should not matter when the game ends. A loss should just be a loss.

For now, nothing is changing. The system stays the same. And Vegas is using it well.

They may not be winning the most games. But they are collecting points. And in the standings, that is what matters most.