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NHL Notebook: Bettman says regular season point system to remain the same, Mammoth roar back to take Game 2 against Golden Knights
Utah Mammoth Mackenzie Weegar Vegas Golden Knights Brett Howden
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Alicia LaBine
Apr 22, 2026, 20:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 22, 2026, 17:06 EDT
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Will the NHL consider a shake-up to provide more weight to regulation wins in the league’s future? NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says it’s unlikely.
On Tuesday evening, Bettman sat with the media in Buffalo, where there were discussions regarding a change in the regular season points system.
“A lot of people suggest that what we have works well,” the NHL’s commissioner told Daily Faceoff ahead of Game 2 between the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins. “Every season, or every few seasons, or once in a blue moon, you may get an aberration.
“But I think if you look at the games in terms of how the playoffs have started, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the system. You’re getting great matchups… Things vary from year to year. If there was a problem long term, we would take a look at it and we’d see if we needed to adjust, but I don’t think we’re at this point in search of a problem that needs to be fixed.”
The 2026 postseason has seen a major shake-up in the teams that are competing, with teams like the Flyers, Sabres, and Mammoth all appearing for their first time in six, fifteen, and six – counting the years that Clayton Keller and crew spent in Arizona – years, respectively.
Sparking the most controversy about the current format of the points system in the regular season has been the Los Angeles Kings, who, despite only having 22 regulation wins in 82 games, found themselves just barely on the inside of the playoff hunt. The San Jose Sharks were four points short of their first playoff appearance in seven years, despite having five more regulation wins than the Kings.
Another key note in the media availability with Bettman was the possibility of a city like Houston getting their first-ever NHL team.
While the NHL has expressed interest in expanding to 33 teams, Bettman advocates that the cost of a new team will be much higher than when the Seattle Kraken bought their team’s rights for $650 million in 2021.
According to Bettman, there would be too noticeable of a decrease of revenue to the other 32 teams if the price of expansion didn’t go up to above $1 billion.
“People tend to forget, for the most part, when you expand the expansion fee is really to reimburse the existing clubs for revenues that you’re giving up,” he said. “There is an economic value of your 32 teams, you expand to 33, you’re now taking national league revenues, and instead of dividing them 32 ways, you’re dividing them 33 ways.”
Other topics also included the future of an outdoor game occurring in the NFL Buffalo Bills’ brand new Highmark Stadium. His remarks on this were that it is in the works but the date of which it will be happening remains unknown.

Mammoth-sized win in Game 2

After a heated matchup in Game 1 of the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth, things had cooled off as Logan Cooley and the Mammoth took the win in a much more tame Game 2.
Utah was one of three teams to tie their series up at 1-1 on Tuesday night as the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning also won their games against the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, respectively.
For the Mammoth, it was a showcase of young speed and depth that saw them take the 3-2 victory over the Golden Knights. Cooley’s game-winning goal came with six minutes left in the third period, after he and Dowd did not resurrect their Game 1 conflicts that ended with the Golden Knights forward threatening Cooley.
The game-winning goal came off of a rebound generated by Kailer Yamamoto as he and Dylan Guenther raced past Vegas’ veteran defenseman Shea Theodore. This marks the start of Cooley’s playoff career with two goals in two games while holding an average ice time of over 20 minutes.
On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed the positives that the Mammoth can take heading into the rest of their series with the acclaimed Golden Knights.
Tyler Yaremchuk: This is why I picked Utah in this series, because they have so many forwards. It’s not just Cooley and Guenther, it’s (Clayton) Keller as well and other names. They have so many guys that can beat you with speed, and you go “Oh man, who was the defenseman that just got absolutely walked off the rush there by Dylan Guenther?” That’s Shea Theodore. That’s supposed to be Vegas’ guy, and even he couldn’t keep up with the speed of this Utah team. Utah’s speed finally does prevail, and they even up the series 1-1, and I again will say Vegas should be very scared about how the rest of this series is going to play out.
Carter Hutton: For me, the other side of it is the (Mikhail) Sergachev turnover to tie it 2-2, where (Ivan) Barbashev gets the puck in the neutral zone and he’s able to kind of just drift through the defensemen. They kind of give him some leeway and he scores. To recover from that is very big for Utah in my opinion. To get to this situation, Guenther’s first goal is unbelievable, an absolute missile top corner. There’s a reason why he has the release he has. And then Logan Cooley, you can see on this play, he doesn’t really take a stride, he’s just using his edges to maintain speed and read where the play goes, and the forward back on that play is Jack Eichel. Jack Eichel was shutdown guy in the Olympics, he’s one of the best in the world at it. He misses his first stick check, and it’s one that just can’t happen if you’re the Vegas Golden Knights. Congrats to the Utah Mammoth, the Delta Center is going to be unbelievable.
Currently Vegas is outscoring Utah 6-5 through two games, despite the Mammoth outshooting them 62-52. While it is a small sample, both goaltenders are standing strong with save percentages above .900 going into Game 3. At this point in time, Carter Hart’s .935 considerably edges out Karel Vejmelka’s less impressive .902.
Game 3 of the Mammoth versus Golden Knights series will take place on Friday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. MT, as both teams look to gain a 2-1 series lead.

Trevor Lewis announces retirement

After spending the 2025-26 season as a free agent, Trevor Lewis has ultimately decided that it is time to wrap up his NHL career that spanned over more than 1,000 games.
In a heartfelt statement shared through the NHLPA social media, Lewis expressed immense gratitude for this grand tenure in the league, but especially for the Los Angeles Kings, whom he helped win two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.
“As a kid growing up in Utah, I could have never imagined this journey,” he said. “Playing over 1,000 games and winning two Stanley Cups. Those milestones aren’t just numbers to me, they represent years of sacrifice, perseverance, and a deep love for the game.
“I want to especially thank the Los Angeles Kings organization for believing in me from day one. You gave me an opportunity to chase this dream, and together we built something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Lewis’s time with Los Angeles began when he was drafted 17th overall by the club in 2006. In his 816 games with the club, he tallied 83 goals and 189 points over the span of 14 seasons.
Two of the fourteen seasons that he spent in Los Angeles were after a couple of brief stints between the Winnipeg Jets where he played 56 games, and the Calgary Flames, with whom he played 162 games across two years, racking up 15 goals and 36 points.
He returned to Los Angeles in 2023 as a free agent, ultimately ending his career playing for the team that started it 20 years ago.
“Hockey has given me more than I could ever ask for – brothers in the locker room, lessons that shaped me as a man, and memories that will last forever,” said Lewis. “To everyone who was part of this journey – including the Jets, Flames, teammates, coaches, GMs. trainers, fans and beyond, thank you!”
His thank you’s extended outside of the hockey world as well, as he made sure to thank his family. He described how their sacrifices, belief, and support were the foundation of his long-lasting NHL career.
Now, Lewis looks forward to what the future holds for him. He ended his emotional statement by saying, “I leave this game with nothing but gratitude and pride. Hockey has given me everything, and I’m excited to see what comes next.”

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