The American Hockey League's Board of Governors on Tuesday approved several measures -- including two recently adopted by the NHL -- at its meeting in Springfield, Mass.
The board approved an amendment to the tiebreaking procedures for AHL standings. In case of a tie in points in the standings, the first tiebreaker shall be the team having won the greater number of games, excluding games won in shootouts. The NHL Board of Governors adopted the same rule last week.
The AHL Board also modified the rule book to reflect changes made by the NHL earlier this offseason. Most notable is the adoption of "Rule 48: Illegal Check to the Head," which provides for a major penalty and game misconduct for a "lateral or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact."
The AHL also opted to retain its playoff format, which features a divisional format leading to conference championships, with the winners meeting in the Calder Cup Finals.