Closest NHL Rivalries of All Time
Long series where neither side has pulled away: the closest to a 50-50 record. Each team appears once. Closest of all: Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, 84-84-12 after 180 meetings.
| # | Series | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers | 84-84-12 | 50.0% |
| 2 | Los Angeles Kings vs Toronto Maple Leafs | 77-77-21 | 50.0% |
| 3 | Calgary Flames vs Washington Capitals | 48-48-13 | 50.0% |
| 4 | New York Rangers vs Winnipeg Jets | 39-39-1 | 50.0% |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins vs San Jose Sharks | 28-28-3 | 50.0% |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres | 159-158-31 | 50.1% |
| 7 | Boston Bruins vs Detroit Red Wings | 286-282-95 | 50.3% |
| 8 | New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes | 95-93-12 | 50.5% |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Lightning vs Dallas Stars | 33-32-3 | 50.7% |
| 10 | Nashville Predators vs St. Louis Blues | 72-68-4 | 51.4% |
| 11 | Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks | 66-62-9 | 51.5% |
| 12 | New York Islanders vs Colorado Avalanche | 50-47-4 | 51.5% |
| 13 | Ottawa Senators vs Florida Panthers | 61-57-3 | 51.7% |
| 14 | Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets | 37-33-1 | 52.8% |
| 15 | Montreal Maroons vs St. Louis Eagles | 30-22-12 | 56.2% |
| 16 | Philadelphia Flyers vs Arizona Coyotes | 53-34-2 | 60.7% |
How this list works
Series with at least 50 meetings (40 in college football), ranked by how close the record is to .500 (a tie counts as half a win). Each team appears in only one row, its closest series.
Each row links to the full matchup page, opened on the NHL numbers. Think you know who leads a series? Try the NHL rivalry quiz.
More NHL records
Records include games through Oct 27, 2026.
Sources
Records are computed from every final game result in the Matchup Index database. About the data.