NHL standings ‘crazy’ tight at quarter mark of season

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings didn’t hold a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday. The next day, they were in second place in the Atlantic Division. Two days after that, they were in first.

They went 2-0-1 in four days and charged up the standings, just like that. But they didn’t feel like the kings of the hill.

“You look at the standings, and if you’re on top of the mountain, you’re really not on top of the mountain,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “You’re in the middle of the forest. It’s so tight.”

It can be a slippery slope. Entering their game against the New York Islanders at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MSGSN2), the Red Wings cling to a one-point lead on the Boston Bruins in the division. They’re still three points from the playoff cut line.

That illustrates the situation across the NHL as the season reaches the quarter mark Thursday (328 games played) with a 12-game slate that could shake up the standings again.

You’re never out of it. You can never take a breath, either.

The standings and the games have been close. The schedule has been relentless, compressed to accommodate the participation of NHL players in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina from Feb. 11-22.

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Another example: The Seattle Kraken were in third place in the Pacific Division on Monday. The next day, they slipped to the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The day after that, they were out of the playoff picture.

They played one game in that time, a 4-2 loss to Detroit on Tuesday. But entering their game at the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; KHN/Prime, CHSN, KONG), they’re one point out of a playoff spot and four points out of first in the Pacific.

“It’s demanding,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “It’s fun, because every game has an extreme significance, and aside from maybe one or two teams, there’s nobody that’s really separating themselves right now.”

The Colorado Avalanche lead the NHL standings by three points. The next 13 teams are separated by four points.

In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes have a one-point lead over the New Jersey Devils. The top six teams are within four points. Four points separate fourth place from 15th. Entering Wednesday, nine points separated all 16 teams. This was the first time an entire conference had been this close at that stage of an 82-game season, according to NHL Stats.

In the Western Conference, the Avalanche lead the conference by four points. The next nine teams are separated by four points.

In the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, there is a seven-point difference from top to bottom. The Avalanche lead the Central by four points, but four points separate the next five teams. The Anaheim Ducks lead the Pacific by three points, but three points separate the next five teams.

Crazy.

“I think I’ve used that word here over the last week, just how tight it is,” said Lambert, who played in the NHL from 1983-89 and has been an assistant, associate or head coach in the League since 2011-12. “I think it’s probably the tightest I’ve seen at this juncture in my whole time.”

Why?

Parity, of course. The NHL has a salary cap, keeping talent relatively even. Entering Wednesday, 76 games had been tied after 55 minutes, tied for the second most at that stage of a season, according to NHL Stats. There were 76 in 2014-15 and 83 in 2002-03.

The NHL awards a point in the standings to teams that lose in overtime or a shootout. Entering Wednesday, 90 games had gone to overtime, the most at that stage in history, according to NHL Stats. The previous record was 87 in 2019-20.

That’s a lot of extra points. Only five teams are below .500 in points percentage.

But there are other factors. Some powerhouse teams have faded, partly because of injuries, while some up-and-coming teams have popped, at least so far.

The Florida Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Edmonton Oilers, the two-time defending Western Conference champs, don’t hold playoff spots.

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Meanwhile, six teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season hold playoff spots at this point: the Bruins, Islanders, Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in the East, and the Blackhawks and Ducks in the West.

“I think it’s exciting,” Chicago center Connor Bedard said. “Every game feels so important for every team. I think our division’s the best in the League, so that makes it tough and harder for us, so that’s always fun and motivates us for sure.”

The compressed schedule might have something to do with it too. Teams have little time to practice. They’re often playing every other day or on back-to-back days.

“It’s taxing,” McLellan said. “It’s emotional.”

It keeps you focused.

“You’ve got to kind of be on right away, no matter the game,” said Seattle center Chandler Stephenson, an 11-year NHL veteran who won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. “I’d agree that it is different from other years, for sure.

“[It might be] the compressed schedule. You’re playing more frequently, so you’re just kind of always in that game mode. But yeah, I mean, it’s obviously exciting to see.”

As the season goes on, there should be more separation. But don’t be surprised if the standings are relatively tight as teams jockey for position day after day the rest of the regular season.

If you can call it the regular season.

As Stephenson said, “It almost feels like playoffs.”

NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report