BUFFALO – It’s only another 30 seconds three times a period, nine times a game. It’s only an additional 90 seconds, in each of the intermissions. But by adding another half-minute to each television timeout then adding another minute-and-a-half to each break between periods, the NHL’s attempt to make its product more television-friendly has made the product itself less appealing.

It’s all about flow, Gary Bettman used to say in discounting the importance of actual goal-scoring back in the pre-cap day when it benefited the league to keep the number of 50-goal-scorers at a minimum – better not to have to pay them, you know? – and the newly adopted extended breaks between play only have served to destroy the flow and natural rhythms of the sport.

It’s bad enough this new NHL era has become all about diluting talent and destroying team identities. The new rules interpretations pretty much force every team to play the same way, to hire the same kind of players. Intimidation is no longer a part of the historic and traditional equation. The price players must pay to get to the net is discounted like at a going-out-of-business liquidation. The alleys about which Conn Smythe once spoke – “Can’t beat ’em in the alley, can’t beat ’em on the ice” – have all been transformed into autobahns.

There can’t be another Big Bad Bruins to engender hatred (as well as awe for No. 4). There can’t be another Broad Street Bullies to stimulate fear and loathing. Rather, they’re all cookie-cutter teams around the continent, all a variation of fast and faster, skilled and not quite as skilled.

The league that once was all about teams and dynasties – you went to see Montreal, not so much Guy Lafleur; you went to watch the Islanders, not so much Mike Bossy; you wanted to see the Oilers, not only the Great Gretzky; there was something about those Red Wings, not necessarily Steve Yzerman – is now all about marketing individual athletes. Except that there aren’t quite enough of them to go around, and because of the cap they’re all apt to change places at some relative early point of their careers, anyway.

But timeout. This was about the additional 30 seconds per television timeout the NHL adopted after review by the broadcast committee and recommendation by the television people. The increase to 2 minutes per artificial stop was adopted so telecasts could feature one more replay or one more hockey-related feature per commercial break. That’s noble, but it comes at the expense of the game’s pace. Those at the arena, those actually paying the freight for this league, sit in the stands watching players stand around in front of their benches then at the faceoff circles for an inordinate length of time awaiting the go-ahead.

This change, by the way, was adopted by the league without the advice and consent of the league’s general managers, let alone the coaches, let alone the much heralded competition committee on which players sit. But why consult the hockey people?

The extended timeouts are in addition to all the stops in play created by the all the phantom penalties being called around the league. Referees appear unable to distinguish between legal checks and players falling down as a natural phenomenon of being bumped. The young officials appear terrified of being reprimanded by league overseers for missing calls. The NHL’s system of justice seems to be based on the perverse premise that it’s better to send 1,000 innocent men to prison for 2-minute sentences than allow one guilty man to go free.

The game between the Rangers and Penguins at the Garden on Thursday featured 65 stops in play; more than one a minute. The opener between the Ducks and Kings featured 70 stops. All four games Friday night produced a minimum of 57 stops. We’re talking a faceoff a minute here. What flow? What pace? What spontaneity? What speed?

But enjoy the commercials. And don’t forget those three additional replays.

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Brian Leetch, meanwhile, has moved back to Boston, where his son is enrolled in school. Leetch is about to resume skating after about a month’s hiatus. Once he gets into a routine, it will take a month or so for him to get into NHL game-shape.

Or, as Tom Renney said, “Darius Kasparaitis.”