The New York Islanders won the 1987-88 NHL Patrick division race on 88 points, 3 points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers. It came down to the final days: the New York Islanders did not lead for good until March 26, 1988.
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Patrick standings, 1987-88
Team
W
L
T
PTS
L10
Streak
New York Islanders (NYI)
39
31
10
88
6-3-1
L2
Philadelphia Flyers (PHI)
38
33
9
85
3-5-2
T1
Washington Capitals (WSH)
38
33
9
85
2-5-3
T1
New Jersey Devils (NJD)
38
36
6
82
8-1-1
W5
New York Rangers (NYR)
36
34
10
82
5-3-2
W1
Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT)
36
35
9
81
7-3-0
W2
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 22 times.
The New York Islanders trailed by as many as 6 points on February 4, 1988.
The New York Islanders took first place for good on March 26, 1988.
The Philadelphia Flyers won 7 games in a row from December 13, 1987 to December 26, 1987, the longest run of the race.
The Philadelphia Flyers led by 5 points as late as February 4, 1988.
The New York Islanders went 6-0-0 from March 19, 1988 to March 31, 1988, turning a deficit of 5 points into a lead of 4 points.
The top two ended the day within two points of each other on 90 of the 157 days played.
Five teams held first place.
The New York Islanders spent 83 of the season's 179 charted days in first place.