Why does the NHL sort teams by points and not percentage or games behind like in the NBA or MLB?

[Kiekko 67 Turku]

Here's another thing about hockey which I've never understood. Why does the NHL sort teams in the standings using points and not something more balanced such as points percentage or perhaps games above/below .500 as is used in the NBA and MLB. As points treats a regulation loss precisely the same as not playing, it doesn't consider the detriment of a regulation loss the way the percentage & games behind systems do in MLB and the NBA.

For example, let's say the Rangers are 23-11-0 (46 pts) and the Bruins are 22-11-0 (44 pts). The Rangers have a better percentage and better games above/below .500 than the Bruins. The Rangers then lose two games while the Bruins don't play. Now the Rangers are 23-13-0 (46 pts) and the Bruins are 22-11-0 (44 pts). Now the Bruins have a better percentage and a better games above/below .500 than the Rangers, but the Rangers would still be listed ahead of the Bruins. If the Yankees were 23-11 and the Red Sox were 22-11 and the Yankees lost two in a row while the Red Sox didn't play, the Yankees (now 23-13) would fall behind the Red Sox (still 22-11).
We know the reason isn't the presence of overtime losses (or one point games), as an overtime loss is the net equivalent of half a win and half a regulation loss.

So what is the reason the NHL doesn't use points percentage or games behind like is used in the NBA and MLB?

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[Bear of Bad News]

No. We're not getting into another semantical discussion like your last one.