The Boston Bruins won the 2003-04 NHL Northeast division race on 104 points, 1 point ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It came down to the final days: the Boston Bruins did not lead for good until April 4, 2004.
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Northeast standings, 2003-04
Team
W
L
T
OT
PTS
L10
Streak
Boston Bruins (BOS)
41
19
15
7
104
6-3-1-0
W1
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR)
45
24
10
3
103
7-2-1-0
W3
Ottawa Senators (OTT)
43
23
10
6
102
5-3-1-1
L1
Montréal Canadiens (MTL)
41
30
7
4
93
4-4-1-1
W1
Buffalo Sabres (BUF)
37
34
7
4
85
6-3-1-0
L2
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 17 times.
The Boston Bruins trailed by as many as 13 points on January 6, 2004.
The Boston Bruins took first place for good on April 4, 2004.
The Toronto Maple Leafs won 8 games in a row from November 22, 2003 to December 6, 2003, the longest run of the race.
The Toronto Maple Leafs led by 11 points as late as December 27, 2003.
The Boston Bruins led by as many as 7 points on November 20, 2003.
The Boston Bruins went 13-3-1-0 from January 6, 2004 to February 10, 2004, turning a deficit of 13 points into a deficit of 1 point.
The top two ended the day within two points of each other on 88 of the 152 days played.
The Boston Bruins spent 65 of the season's 180 charted days in first place.