NHL 2026-27 so far: 32 teams and what the first weeks show
The 2026-27 season has 32 teams, and after the opening weeks the table is already split: Carolina Hurricanes lead with 17 points while Los Angeles Kings sit at the bottom with 4.
Where the season stands by the numbers
Teams have played between 7 and 12 games, which is normal for this point in the calendar: the schedule is not balanced yet, and the table reflects that.
The early pace-setters
Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers occupy the top five places in the standings. That group is separated by fewer points than the gap between fifth and the middle of the table, which is a useful reminder of how compressed the top of the league is at this stage.
| # | Team | GP | W-L-OTL | PTS | DIFF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | 11 | 8-2-1 | 17 | +15 | 8-2-0, 0 PTS |
| 2 | Vegas Golden Knights | 11 | 8-3-0 | 16 | +14 | 7-3-0, 0 PTS |
| 3 | Edmonton Oilers | 9 | 7-1-1 | 15 | +14 | 7-1-1, 0 PTS |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 10 | 7-2-1 | 15 | +14 | 7-2-1, 0 PTS |
| 5 | New York Rangers | 11 | 7-3-1 | 15 | +9 | 7-2-1, 0 PTS |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 9 | 7-2-0 | 14 | +8 | 7-2-0, 0 PTS |
| 7 | Utah Mammoth | 10 | 7-3-0 | 14 | +7 | 7-3-0, 0 PTS |
| 8 | Ottawa Senators | 10 | 7-3-0 | 14 | +5 | 7-3-0, 0 PTS |
| 9 | Minnesota Wild | 10 | 6-2-2 | 14 | +6 | 6-2-2, 0 PTS |
| 10 | Seattle Kraken | 10 | 6-3-1 | 13 | +5 | 6-3-1, 0 PTS |
Updated 22 October 2026, 19:00 · live feed, season 2026-27
Goal difference tells a different story
Points record results; goal difference records the margin. The two do not always agree, and where they disagree the difference is usually special teams or goaltending running hot for a short stretch.
What to watch next
Three things move the table fastest in the coming weeks: the first back-to-back road trips, the return of injured players, and the point where every team has played a similar number of games.
- Games in hand disappear as the schedule evens out.
- The last-ten column becomes a form indicator rather than noise.
- Goal difference stabilises and starts matching the points totals.
How this page stays current
The table above is rebuilt from a live standings feed, and the tracker text is generated from the same numbers, so both the figures and the sentences describing them stay in step.
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