NHL Standings ordered by penalty minutes instead of points

The 2023-24 NHL season is 75 percent complete - time surely flies when you're having fun!

The top teams in the current standings by points have shown their strengths and are looking at staying consistent through the last quarter of the season. Those on the outside looking in are digging deep to try to inch closer to a spot in the post-season. The March 8 trade deadline is approaching quickly, as teams analyze available players for a potential piece to help their puzzle.

Let's step out of reality, though, but just for a minute. How much do penalty minutes matter? Physicality matters; we know this. But how much do penalty minutes per team change the standings?

What do NHL Standings look like when ordered by PIMs?

Eastern Conference - Metropolitan Division

The top three teams here are the same as the current Metropolitan Division standings, except the order is mixed. In reality, the New York Rangers are first, followed by the Hurricanes in second and the Flyers in third. If the penalty minutes decided playoffs; the same three teams would make an appearance in the postseason.

As for Wild Card — based on PIM it would appear that both Wild Card options would come from the Atlantic Division. Per the chart below, the Montréal Canadians and Boston Bruins, with 637 and 631 penalty minutes respectively, would make the playoffs and play for Lord Stanley's Cup.

The bottom half of the standings here are similar as well with the outlier being the New York Islanders. They're currently fourth in the standings and six points outside a Wild Card berth but based on time spent in the box, their season would not even have a chance to continue on into June.

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division

The Atlantic Division is pretty interesting — with the Florida Panthers ranked one overall in penalty minutes here, and they're also ranked number one in the standings by points. In fact, they have the most points in the league right now with 88, leading the President's Trophy race. Will the Panthers be the first team to hit 100 points this season?

The rest of the standings here are all over the place compared to where the team is actually placed. For example, the Senators are dead last in the Atlantic with 53 points but would make the playoffs here with 660 penalty minutes. Honorable mention to the Maple Leafs, who would pack their golf bags in April with only 546 PIM, but by points standards they would keep playing hockey once the regular season concludes.

As mentioned before, both Wild Card teams would come from the Atlantic based on our rankings here, and that is also the same in points, only the teams would change. Canadians and Bruins here compared to Detroit and Tampa Bay in reality.

Western Conference - Pacific Division

WOW. I can assure you that the Ducks and the Sharks are wishing that their time spent short-handed would grant them post-season play. Anaheim's league-leading 858 penalty minutes surely beats their 47 points on the season — no playoffs in sight for post-season veteran Alex Killorn who came to Cali last summer from Tampa Bay after winning two Cups with the Lightning. The Sharks in actual standings are one point away from the Chicago Blackhawks (15-42-5, 35) — who have the worst record this season despite drafting sensation Connor Bedard number one overall in 2023.

The Canucks are not stressed with either way of ranking, as they're in with 85 points (division-leading) or 613 penalty minutes (second here).

Honorable mentions to the Oilers and Golden Knights — as Connor McDavid and company would slide in through a Wild Card in penalty minutes with 582, Vegas would see their dreams of being repeat Cup champions pass by in the rear-view mirror. Luckily, in reality, the Golden Knights are third in the division with 73 points (but the Kings are right on their heels with 72)!

Western Conference - Central Division

We saved the most mixed-up standings for last, ladies and gentlemen, the Central Division!

Arizona with tough guy forward Liam O'Brien with a team-leading 121 PIMs and Minnesota with blue-liner Jake Middleton with his 66 PIMs are cruising into post-season play with these standings, when in reality, they occupy seventh and sixth place in the division respectively.

Winnipeg, Dallas, and Colorado are teams that will play past April 18 in all likelihood if we look at points. Penalty minutes? Ehh. Winnipeg with 507 minutes and Dallas with only 433 minutes (tied with Pittsburgh for the lowest in the league) wouldn't stand a chance. The Avalanche would sneak in via Wild Card here, but luckily for Nathan MacKinnon and crew in regular NHL standings, they're in third place with 81 points.

To answer the original question here, "Do the top teams by points also rank at the top by time spent in the sin bin?", the answer is ... yes for Metro, sort of for Atlantic and Pacific, and absolutely not for the Central. Playoff hockey is already the best, but could you imagine if the teams with the most minutes in the bin got to battle it out for the cup?

One can only dream ...