The biggest NHL comebacks and collapses, 1917-18 to 2025-26

Biggest comebacks

1. The Detroit Red Wings trailed the 1993-94 Central race by 18 points on November 22, 1993, and won it by 2 points.
2. The Florida Panthers trailed the 2015-16 Atlantic race by 17 points on November 28, 2015, and won it by 6 points.
3. The Washington Capitals trailed the 1999-00 Southeast race by 16 points on January 15, 2000, and won it by 4 points.
4. The Anaheim Ducks trailed the 2015-16 Pacific race by 16 points on January 11, 2016, and won it by 1 point.
5. The Pittsburgh Penguins trailed the 1990-91 Patrick race by 15 points on December 1, 1990, and won it by 3 points.
6. The Boston Bruins trailed the 1992-93 Adams race by 15 points on March 1, 1993, and won it by 5 points.
7. The Philadelphia Flyers trailed the 1999-00 Atlantic race by 15 points on February 15, 2000, and won it by 2 points.
8. The Washington Capitals trailed the 2007-08 Southeast race by 14 points on November 17, 2007, and won it by 2 points.
9. The Colorado Avalanche trailed the 2022-23 Central race by 14 points on January 12, 2023, and won it by 1 point.
10. The Boston Bruins trailed the 1940-41 NHL race by 13 points on December 15, 1940, and won it by 5 points.

Biggest collapses

1. The Florida Panthers led the 1999-00 Southeast race by 16 points as late as January 15, 2000, and finished behind the Washington Capitals.
2. The New Jersey Devils led the 1999-00 Atlantic race by 15 points as late as February 18, 2000, and finished behind the Philadelphia Flyers.
3. The Toronto Maple Leafs led the 1993-94 Central race by 12 points as late as December 3, 1993, and finished behind the Detroit Red Wings.
4. The Ottawa Senators led the 2007-08 Northeast race by 12 points as late as December 27, 2007, and finished behind the Montréal Canadiens.
5. The Los Angeles Kings led the 2015-16 Pacific race by 12 points as late as January 20, 2016, and finished behind the Anaheim Ducks.
6. The Chicago Blackhawks led the 1963-64 NHL race by 11 points as late as November 30, 1963, and finished behind the Montréal Canadiens.
7. The Los Angeles Kings led the 1980-81 Norris race by 11 points as late as February 2, 1981, and finished behind the Montréal Canadiens.
8. The Washington Capitals led the 1984-85 Patrick race by 11 points as late as February 8, 1985, and finished behind the Philadelphia Flyers.
9. The Florida Panthers led the 1996-97 Atlantic race by 11 points as late as November 29, 1996, and finished behind the New Jersey Devils.
10. The Toronto Maple Leafs led the 2003-04 Northeast race by 11 points as late as December 27, 2003, and finished behind the Boston Bruins.

Latest deciding day

1. With no charted days left to play, the Anaheim Ducks took first place in the 2015-16 Pacific race for good on April 10, 2016, having led on 13 of the race's 187 charted days.
2. With no charted days left to play, the Colorado Avalanche took first place in the 2022-23 Central race for good on April 14, 2023, having led on 12 of the race's 190 charted days.
3. With no charted days left to play, the Colorado Avalanche took first place in the 2002-03 Northwest race for good on April 6, 2003, having led on 2 of the race's 180 charted days.
4. With no charted days left to play, the Boston Bruins took first place in the 2003-04 Northeast race for good on April 4, 2004, having led on 65 of the race's 180 charted days.
5. With no charted days left to play, the Colorado Avalanche took first place in the 2013-14 Central race for good on April 13, 2014, having led on 47 of the race's 195 charted days.
6. With no charted days left to play, the St. Louis Blues took first place in the 1986-87 Norris race for good on April 5, 1987, having led on 16 of the race's 179 charted days.
7. With no charted days left to play, the Detroit Red Wings took first place in the 1954-55 NHL race for good on March 20, 1955, having led on 21 of the race's 165 charted days.
8. With no charted days left to play, the Chicago Blackhawks took first place in the 1985-86 Norris race for good on April 6, 1986, having led on 94 of the race's 179 charted days.
9. With no charted days left to play, the Philadelphia Flyers took first place in the 2003-04 Atlantic race for good on April 4, 2004, having led on 174 of the race's 180 charted days.
10. With one charted day left to play, the Phoenix Coyotes took first place in the 2011-12 Pacific race for good on April 6, 2012, having led on 24 of the race's 185 charted days.

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. A team's comeback or collapse is counted once per season, at its deepest, whichever of its charted races it came in.

Biggest comebacks: the deepest deficit the eventual winner faced at the end of a charted day, in points behind that day's leader, dated to the first day it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.

Biggest collapses: the largest lead over second place held at the end of a charted day by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last day the team still held that full lead. A comeback and a collapse read the same race from opposite ends, so they can disagree about one summer.

Latest deciding day ranks winners by how few charted days remained when they took first place for good, which is the day after the last one the winner ended behind or level with another club: a day it only shared the top is not a day it held first place for good, so a late tie pushes the date later. Races whose top two the standings cannot separate appear on none of these lists: the data cannot name a winner. Only finished seasons are ranked; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.