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

Tightest finishes

1. The 2020-21 East race finished level, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals separated by nothing at all, with 18 lead changes.
2. The 1932-33 American race finished level, the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings separated by nothing at all, with 17 lead changes.
3. The 2020-21 West race finished level, the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights separated by nothing at all, with 13 lead changes.
4. The 2005-06 Atlantic race finished level, the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers separated by nothing at all, with ten lead changes.
5. The 2010-11 Atlantic race finished level, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins separated by nothing at all, with nine lead changes.
6. The 1969-70 East race finished level, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins separated by nothing at all, with six lead changes.
7. The 1929-30 Canadian race finished level, the Montreal Maroons and the Montréal Canadiens separated by nothing at all, with five lead changes.
8. The 1917-18 NHL race finished level, 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 34 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 33 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 over the Montréal Canadiens.
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 2016-17 Metropolitan race changed hands 24 times, and the Washington Capitals won it by 7 points over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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 over the Montréal Canadiens.
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 over the St. Louis Blues.
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.

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. Two teams the standings cannot separate are shown as level, with no winner named; where the league settled such a race another way, the linked race page tells that story.

Most lead changes counts a change only when a new team passes the leader outright. A day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading, so a tie can never inflate the count.

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.