Best NHL Regular-Season Record: 65 Wins, 135 Points
The 2022–23 Bruins hold the NHL records for wins and points. Compare the top seasons and see why points percentage gives a different answer.
The 2022–23 Boston Bruins hold the NHL single-season records for both wins and standings points: 65 wins and 135 points in 82 games. Their final record was 65–12–5. Those marks remain unbeaten as of October 18, 2026, according to the NHL’s official wins leaderboard and points leaderboard.
But “best record” needs a metric. Boston leads in total wins and points; the 1929–30 Bruins hold the highest points percentage for a completed season, at .875. Among completed seasons of at least 70 games, the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens lead at .825, narrowly ahead of the 2022–23 Bruins’ .823. These distinctions follow the NHL’s points-percentage records, excluding seasons still in progress.
Top five NHL seasons by standings points
| Team | Season | Games | Record | Points | Points percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 2022–23 | 82 | 65–12–5 | 135 | 82.3% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1976–77 | 80 | 60–8–12 | 132 | 82.5% |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1995–96 | 82 | 62–13–7 | 131 | 79.9% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1977–78 | 80 | 59–10–11 | 129 | 80.6% |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 2018–19 | 82 | 62–16–4 | 128 | 78.0% |
Source: NHL — Most Points, Season. Percentages are calculated from the listed points and games, rounded to one decimal place.
Read the third number in each record carefully: Boston’s and Tampa Bay’s records use wins–regulation losses–overtime/shootout losses. The older Montreal and Detroit records use wins–losses–ties. A “12” in Montreal’s 1976–77 record means 12 ties, not 12 overtime defeats.
Boston surpassed the previous wins record of 62, shared by the 1995–96 Red Wings and 2018–19 Lightning, and Montreal’s previous points record of 132. The Bruins closed their season with a 5–4 win over the Canadiens on April 13, 2023, finishing with 65 wins and the Presidents’ Trophy. The NHL’s season-finale report confirms those final totals.
Why points percentage changes the answer
Points percentage measures the share of a team’s maximum available standings points:
Points percentage = points ÷ (2 × games played)
For the 2022–23 Bruins:
- Standings points: (65 × 2) + 5 = 135
- Points percentage: 135 ÷ 164 = 82.3%
- Win percentage: 65 ÷ 82 = 79.3%
Those last two numbers are not interchangeable. Points percentage includes points earned in overtime or shootout defeats; win percentage counts only wins. The NHL’s overtime rules, Rule 84, explain the standings point awarded when regulation ends tied and the additional point available to the winner. For reading modern record lines, see what OTL means in hockey.
Montreal’s 1976–77 calculation is 132 ÷ 160 = 82.5%. It earned fewer total points than Boston but a slightly larger share of the points available over its shorter schedule.
The 1929–30 Bruins went 38–5–1, earning 77 points in 44 games: 77 ÷ 88 = 87.5%. That is the completed-season percentage benchmark, rather than the total-points benchmark.
Points percentage adjusts for schedule length, but it does not fully adjust for era. The NHL introduced a point for an overtime loss in 1999–2000 and the shootout in 2005–06, changing how tied games affected wins and standings points. The league’s historical rule changes document both shifts. A modern game decided after regulation normally distributes three standings points between the teams; a tie in Montreal’s 1976–77 season distributed two. Shootouts also turn games that previously would have ended tied into wins and losses.
Did the record-setting Bruins win the Stanley Cup?
No. Florida eliminated Boston in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, winning Game 7 in overtime after trailing the series 3–1. The NHL’s May 1 recap records the upset.
The 65-win, 135-point season is a regular-season record—not a championship record or, by itself, proof of the greatest team ever.