By points percentage

RK	Team	GP	W	L	OT	P	Pt%
1	DET	31	22	6	3	47	0.758
2	OTT	30	20	7	3	43	0.717
3	SJS	30	17	9	4	38	0.633
4	NJD	31	17	11	3	37	0.597
5	BOS	31	17	11	3	37	0.597
6	DAL	32	17	11	4	38	0.594
7	PHI	29	16	11	2	34	0.586
8	STL	29	16	11	2	34	0.586
9	MIN	31	17	12	2	36	0.581
10	VAN	32	17	12	3	37	0.578
11	NYR	31	16	12	3	35	0.565
12	COL	31	17	13	1	35	0.565
13	MTL	31	15	11	5	35	0.565
14	CBJ	31	14	11	6	34	0.548
15	CHI	30	15	13	2	32	0.533
16	NYI	30	15	13	2	32	0.533
17	TOR	32	14	12	6	34	0.531
18	CGY	33	15	13	5	35	0.530
19	CAR	33	16	14	3	35	0.530
20	NSH	29	14	13	2	30	0.517
21	BUF	30	15	14	1	31	0.517
22	PIT	31	15	14	2	32	0.516
23	ANA	34	15	15	4	34	0.500
24	EDM	33	15	16	2	32	0.485
25	TBL	32	14	15	3	31	0.484
26	FLA	31	14	15	2	30	0.484
27	ATL	31	14	16	1	29	0.468
28	PHX	29	13	16	0	26	0.448
29	LAK	32	12	18	2	26	0.406
30	WSH	32	12	18	2	26	0.406

So much for the Devils' struggles, which just shows what a good stretch can do for a team.

This is really a picture of parity, with the NHL's third-best team just nine points ahead of the 27th best, and we're closing in on 40 per cent of the way through the season. Twenty-five teams have somewhere between 14 and 17 wins, and the lowest division leader in the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes, is projected to finish ninth with just 87 points.

They of course would be bumped up to third, which would put Toronto in ninth.

Imagine the outrage.

As of right now, out west, Columbus would sneak into the postseason just ahead of Chicago, but that seems to change weekly, and one would assume the Alberta teams are going to take that spot at some point. Nashville and Anaheim are also likely to improve.

Right now, all things considered, Claude Julien gets my vote for the Jack Adams given how he's turned things around in Boston, but given the Bruins' style of play, that might be more an indictment of the way the league's going than anything.