The closest NHL division and league races, 1917-18 to 2025-26

Tightest finishes

1. The 1932-33 American race finished tied, the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings separated by nothing at all, with 18 lead changes.
2. The 2020-21 East race finished tied, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals separated by nothing at all, with 18 lead changes.
3. The 2020-21 West race finished tied, the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights separated by nothing at all, with 14 lead changes.
4. The 2005-06 Atlantic race finished tied on points, the New Jersey Devils ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers on wins, 46 to 45, with nine lead changes.
5. The 2010-11 Atlantic race finished tied, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins separated by nothing at all, with nine lead changes.
6. The 1969-70 East race finished tied on points, the Chicago Black Hawks ahead of the Boston Bruins on wins, 45 to 40, with seven lead changes.
7. The 1929-30 Canadian race finished tied on points, the Montreal Maroons ahead of the Montréal Canadiens on wins, 23 to 21, with four lead changes.
8. The 1917-18 NHL race finished tied, the Montréal Canadiens and the Toronto Arenas separated by nothing at all, with three lead changes.
9. The Anaheim Ducks won the 2015-16 Pacific race by 1 point over the Los Angeles Kings, with 19 lead changes, taking first place for good on April 10, 2016.
10. The Boston Bruins won the 2003-04 Northeast race by 1 point over the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 17 lead changes, taking first place for good on April 4, 2004.

Most lead changes

1. The lead in the 2007-08 Northwest race changed hands 33 times, and the Minnesota Wild won it by 3 points over the Colorado Avalanche.
2. The lead in the 2017-18 Metropolitan race changed hands 32 times, and the Washington Capitals won it by 5 points over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
3. The lead in the 1992-93 Norris race changed hands 31 times, and the Chicago Blackhawks won it by 3 points over the Detroit Red Wings.
4. The lead in the 1998-99 Northeast race changed hands 30 times, and the Ottawa Senators won it by 6 points over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
5. The lead in the 2007-08 Pacific race changed hands 29 times, and the San Jose Sharks won it by 6 points over the Anaheim Ducks.
6. The lead in the 2021-22 Metropolitan race changed hands 29 times, and the Carolina Hurricanes won it by 6 points over the New York Rangers.
7. The lead in the 2023-24 Central race changed hands 28 times, and the Dallas Stars won it by 3 points over the Winnipeg Jets.
8. The lead in the 2025-26 Atlantic race changed hands 28 times, and the Buffalo Sabres won it by 3 points.
9. The lead in the 2024-25 Metropolitan race changed hands 26 times, and the Washington Capitals won it by 12 points over the Carolina Hurricanes.
10. The lead in the 1981-82 Adams race changed hands 24 times, and the Montréal Canadiens won it by 13 points over the Boston Bruins.

Most days within two points

1. The top two in the 2014-15 Atlantic race ended 128 of its 166 playing days within two points of each other, and the Montréal Canadiens won it by 2 points over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
2. The top two in the 2025-26 Pacific race ended 128 of its 156 playing days within two points of each other, and the Vegas Golden Knights won it by 2 points over the Edmonton Oilers.
3. The top two in the 2025-26 Atlantic race ended 127 of its 157 playing days within two points of each other, and the Buffalo Sabres won it by 3 points.
4. The top two in the 2018-19 Central race ended 121 of its 160 playing days within two points of each other, and the Nashville Predators won it by 1 point.
5. The top two in the 2022-23 Central race ended 121 of its 168 playing days within two points of each other, and the Colorado Avalanche won it by 1 point over the Dallas Stars.
6. The top two in the 2007-08 Atlantic race ended 121 of its 150 playing days within two points of each other, and the Pittsburgh Penguins won it by 3 points over the New Jersey Devils.
7. The top two in the 1993-94 Northeast race ended 121 of its 174 playing days within two points of each other, and the Pittsburgh Penguins won it by 4 points over the Boston Bruins.
8. The top two in the 2011-12 Pacific race ended 119 of its 154 playing days within two points of each other, and the Phoenix Coyotes won it by 1 point over the San Jose Sharks.
9. The top two in the 2007-08 Northwest race ended 119 of its 154 playing days within two points of each other, and the Minnesota Wild won it by 3 points over the Colorado Avalanche.
10. The top two in the 2023-24 Central race ended 115 of its 164 playing days within two points of each other, and the Dallas Stars won it by 3 points over the Winnipeg Jets.

How these lists are ranked

Everything on this page comes from the same season files the charts draw, with standings read as each day ended. All 308 charted NHL races from 108 finished seasons enter: every division and league race from 1917-18 to 2025-26. Wild card races are not ranked; their story is the playoff cutoff, not first place. The 2026-27 season joins these lists when it ends.

Tightest finishes ranks races by the final gap between first and second place, in points. Ties are broken by how late the winner took first place for good, then by lead changes, then oldest first; a race that finished tied counts as decided on its last day, so races that finished tied are ordered by lead changes and then oldest first. Two teams the standings cannot separate are shown as tied, with no winner named; where the league settled such a race another way, the linked race page tells that story. Where the league broke the tie on a column the table shows, the row names the team it put first and both numbers.

Most lead changes counts a change only when the lead passes to new hands. A team that only catches the leader shares first place but does not take the lead: the lead stays with the team or teams that already held it for as long as any of them is still on top, and passes on the day none of them is, so a tie can never inflate the count. On a finished season's last day, a tie the league broke counts for the team it named, so a team that ends the last day tied with the leader and wins on the league's tiebreak has taken the lead. The count starts on the first day somebody held first place, a day on which every team at the top had played at least once: before that, a team can sit on top, alone or tied with others, without having played a game.

Most days within two points counts the days on which this race's teams played and the top two ended the day within two points of each other, the most a single result can make up. Days a league stood idle (a strike, a pause) are not counted: a frozen gap says nothing about a race.

Only finished seasons are ranked. Seasons shortened by strikes or other stoppages count as played; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.