What if the NHL Added a Two-Point Shot?

In 2018, while writing for Full Press Coverage, I proposed a rule change for the NHL. This rule change would increase scoring in the league, which has seen scoring increase over the last two seasons. This was after scoring had either plateaued or dipped the previous two leaguewide. The appeal of watching a hockey game is seeing the best hockey players in the world using their athleticism to score on the best goaltenders in the world.

What if goals scored from behind the blue line counted for two goals? This would increase scoring in much the same way that the NBA’s three-point line did the same for the league. Teams would be forced to stretch out their defense to cover players who would be willing to attempt such a shot. One downside that I can see is that teams may review shots that go in to be sure if they were released from behind the blue line. NHL coaches can challenge as many plays as they want if those challenges continue to be successful. This prevents coaches from challenging plays to slow the game down.

According to the NHL rule book on NHL.com, “the ice surface between the goals shall be divided into three zones by lines, twelve inches (12″) in width, and blue in color, drawn sixty-four feet (64′) out from the goal lines, and extended completely across the rink, parallel with the goal lines, and continued vertically up the side of the boards. (Paint code PMS 286.)”

The American Basketball League was first to institute the three-point shot in 1961. This was short-lived, as the league disbanded one year later. The American Basketball Association, which merged with the NBA, instituted the three-point shot before the 1967 season. The thinking behind the institution of a 3-point shot in the NBA is that shots from further away are more difficult to make (as evidenced by the fact that the percentage of shots from behind the arc is lower than that of shots made inside the arc).

One team that has solved this “problem” is the Golden State Warriors. They have forced the other teams in the NBA to begin shooting 3-point shots at a similar rate or face being blown out of every game they play. The issue for NBA teams is that not everyone can shoot 3-pointers like Stephen Curry. It would be surprising for an NHL player to make shots from behind the blue-line at a .426 clip.