Imagine if the NHL measured its standings by something different, like regulation points percentage. This is the percentage of an NHL team's points accumulated during regulation as opposed to the number accumulated in the usual combo of regulation, in an overtime win, and in an overtime loss.
So what would the NHL's standings look like if the league sorted all 32 teams by their regulation points percentage? While they wouldn't look incredibly different from the number of points accumulated, as is the league's standard, there are some rather interesting discrepancies.
While you will see familiar names at the top and bottom of the list, you will also be shocked to discover that some teams gaining an edge in the early stages of the playoff race don't fare well in this particular metric.
NHL standings ordered by regulation points percentage
- Boston Bruins - 0.806
- Los Angeles Kings - 0.735
- New York Rangers - 0.706
- Vancouver Canucks - 0.650
- Vegas Golden Knights - 0.650
- Colorado Avalanche - 0.639
- Dallas Stars - 0.639
- Winnipeg Jets - 0.611
- Florida Panthers - 0.605
- Washington Capitals - 0.594
- St. Louis Blues - 0.556
- Detroit Red Wings - 0.556
- Tampa Bay Lightning - 0.550
- Philadelphia Flyers - 0.526
- Carolina Hurricanes - 0.500
- New York Islanders - 0.500
- Toronto Maple Leafs - 0.500
- Pittsburgh Penguins - 0.472
- New Jersey Devils - 0.471
- Ottawa Senators - 0.467
- Buffalo Sabres - 0.447
- Seattle Kraken - 0.429
- Arizona Coyotes - 0.421
- Calgary Flames - 0.421
- Nashville Predators - 0.417
- Anaheim Ducks - 0.395
- Minnesota Wild - 0.382
- Montreal Canadiens - 0.342
- Columbus Blue Jackets - 0.325
- Edmonton Oilers - 0.278
- Chicago Blackhawks - 0.265
- San Jose Sharks - 0.184
Once again, the Boston Bruins continue to dominate in nearly every category, regulation points percentage included. Meanwhile, the Sharks, predictably, are still the worst in hockey regardless of how we rank teams in most of these metrics.
But there are some outliers, like the Detroit Red Wings who, despite holding a 0.556 regulation points percentage that sits at fifth in the Eastern Conference, currently rank eighth in actual points. The Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for eighth at 0.500 in the East, despite the fact they are tied for fifth with 22 points before tiebreakers.
(Metrics provided by Hockey-Reference)
