DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings didn’t hold a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday. The next day, they were in second place in the Atlantic Division. Two days after that, they were in first.
They went 2-0-1 in four days and charged up the standings, just like that. But they didn’t feel like the kings of the hill.
“You look at the standings, and if you’re on top of the mountain, you’re really not on top of the mountain,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “You’re in the middle of the forest. It’s so tight.”
It can be a slippery slope. Entering their game against the New York Islanders at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MSGSN2), the Red Wings cling to a one-point lead on the Boston Bruins in the division. They’re still three points from the playoff cut line.
That illustrates the situation across the NHL as the season reaches the quarter mark Thursday (328 games played) with a 12-game slate that could shake up the standings again.
You’re never out of it. You can never take a breath, either.
The standings and the games have been close. The schedule has been relentless, compressed to accommodate the participation of NHL players in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina from Feb. 11-22.
Explore NHL.com’s Coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026
Another example: The Seattle Kraken were in third place in the Pacific Division on Monday. The next day, they slipped to the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The day after that, they were out of the playoff picture.
They played one game in that time, a 4-2 loss to Detroit on Tuesday. But entering their game at the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; KHN/Prime, CHSN, KONG), they’re one point out of a playoff spot and four points out of first in the Pacific.
“It’s demanding,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “It’s fun, because every game has an extreme significance, and aside from maybe one or two teams, there’s nobody that’s really separating themselves right now.”
The Colorado Avalanche lead the NHL standings by three points. The next 13 teams are separated by four points.
In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes have a one-point lead over the New Jersey Devils. The top six teams are within four points. Four points separate fourth place from 15th. Entering Wednesday, nine points separated all 16 teams. This was the first time an entire conference had been this close at that stage of an 82-game season, according to NHL Stats.
In the Western Conference, the Avalanche lead the conference by four points. The next nine teams are separated by four points.
In the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, there is a seven-point difference from top to bottom. The Avalanche lead the Central by four points, but four points separate the next five teams. The Anaheim Ducks lead the Pacific by three points, but three points separate the next five teams.
Crazy.
“I think I’ve used that word here over the last week, just how tight it is,” said Lambert, who played in the NHL from 1983-89 and has been an assistant, associate or head coach in the League since 2011-12. “I think it’s probably the tightest I’ve seen at this juncture in my whole time.”
Why?
