It's early in the NHL season. Very, very early. Honestly, it's probably too early to think about the NHL standings. But with yesterday's overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Verizon Center, the Washington Capitals took over first place in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have 20 points this season, but Washington owns the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head win. The Capitals have also played one fewer game than the Flyers this season.
Here are the full Eastern Conference standings after today.
- Washington Capitals: 20 points
- Philadelphia Flyers: 20 points
- Montreal Canadiens: 17 points
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 16 points
- Boston Bruins: 15 points
- New York Rangers: 15 points
- Ottawa Senators: 15 points
- Atlanta Thrashers: 15 points
- Pittsburgh Penguins: 15 points
- Carolina Hurricanes: 14 points
- Toronto Maple Leafs: 13 points
- Florida Panthers: 10 points
- New York Islanders: 10 points
- Buffalo Sabres: 10 points
- New Jersey Devils: 9 points
The Capitals are also tied for first place in the entire NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings, both of whom have 20 points. However, both of those teams have played fewer games than the Capitals.