The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2017-18 NHL Atlantic division race on 113 points, 1 point ahead of the Boston Bruins. It came down to the final days: the Tampa Bay Lightning did not lead for good until April 6, 2018.
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Atlantic standings, 2017-18
Team
W
L
OT
PTS
L10
Streak
Tampa Bay Lightning (TBL)
54
23
5
113
5-4-1
OT1
Boston Bruins (BOS)
50
20
12
112
5-3-2
L1
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR)
49
26
7
105
6-4-0
W1
Florida Panthers (FLA)
44
30
8
96
7-2-1
W5
Detroit Red Wings (DET)
30
39
13
73
4-4-2
OT1
Montréal Canadiens (MTL)
29
40
13
71
3-6-1
L1
Ottawa Senators (OTT)
28
43
11
67
2-8-0
L2
Buffalo Sabres (BUF)
25
45
12
62
2-8-0
L4
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 8 times.
The Tampa Bay Lightning trailed by as many as 2 points on October 4, 2017.
The Tampa Bay Lightning took first place for good on April 6, 2018.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won 7 games in a row from December 2, 2017 to December 16, 2017, the longest run of the race.
The Toronto Maple Leafs led by 2 points as late as October 11, 2017.
The Tampa Bay Lightning went 14-3-1 from December 1, 2017 to January 9, 2018, turning a lead of 1 point into a lead of 12 points.
The top two ended the day within two points of each other on 42 of the 173 days played.
Six teams held first place.
The Tampa Bay Lightning spent 172 of the season's 187 charted days in first place.