After looking at the standings, trying to figure out why the playoff race is so close, why are there only 7 teams out of 30 under (.500) this season?
Is it because of the shootout extra point 
or maybe its the Schedule?
[quote=“Meowth”]After looking at the standings, trying to figure out why the playoff race is so close, why are there only 7 teams out of 30 under (.500) this season?
Is it because of the shootout extra point
or maybe its the Schedule?[/quote]
It’s not the shootout point. Did you see the features that TSN did on this the past week? If you remove either the “loser” point or the extra point for the shootout win (those games would have been a tie before) only one of the current 16 playoff teams would change (Edmonton loses their playoff spot under both situations).
In my opinion, you are seeing the effects of the salary cap already. None of the elite level teams (other than maybe Detriot, who seem to always find late round gems) have the depth they did in the pre-cap NHL. Pretty much every team has had some struggles with injuries and slumps caused by them. The difference between the teams solidly in the playoffs and those still fighting comes down to how quickly they bumped their slumps, either by getting players back, or finding a way to win with their role players.