The National Hockey League’s Atlantic Division was projected to be the most competitive in the league this season, and one month into the campaign it has lived up to the billing.
It is the only division in which all eight teams have a points percentage over .500, while the top and bottom of the division are separated by only six points.
By comparison, the Pacific Division only has four teams with a points percentage over .500, and the division-leading Edmonton Oilers already hold an 18-point advantage over the Vancouver Canucks.
There are six teams with a points percentage of .700 or higher, and three are at the top of the Atlantic while the others (Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers) sit comfortably at the top of their respective divisions.
“We’re going to get everybody’s best,’’ Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said Monday after a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. “All the teams in the Atlantic are good teams. When you get their best, you have to match it.”
The Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres currently sit tied for last in the division with 17 points and are on the outside looking in for the current playoff picture despite having the same amount of points as the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division, the New York Rangers.
A maximum of five Atlantic teams can make the playoffs, and as it stands, Atlantic teams occupy both wild-card spots, with three more Atlantic teams ahead of the next-closest Metropolitan team.
Despite impressive runs, no Atlantic team has been able to separate itself from the competition. The Boston Bruins (11-4-1) are 7-2-1 in their past 10 but hold a narrow two-point lead over the second-place Montreal Canadiens (9-3-3), who have won six of their past seven and have not lost in regulation in 21 days.
Mid-season shakeups could come from the eventual trades of Dylan Larkin and Nikita Kucherov - both of whom have other Atlantic Division teams in heavy pursuit. However, the Atlantic should remain the most competitive division in the NHL with each point carrying more importance as the entire division fights for a limited amount of playoff spots.