NHL Head-to-Head
Every franchise pairing in one place: Original Six classics, the Battle of Alberta, modern era Crosby vs Ovechkin chapters, and Stanley Cup history all the way back to 1917.
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Featured Matchup
Boston Bruins vs Montréal Canadiens
Montréal Canadiens lead 56% of decided meetings across 940 all-time games (with 101 pre-2005 ties). First meeting 1924; most recent 2026.
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Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Montréal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Top Rivalries
Boston Bruins vs Montréal Canadiens
940 all-time meetings
Original Six · Most-played NHL rivalry
Montréal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs
848 all-time meetings
Original Six · Canadian Classic
Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs
181 all-time meetings
Battle of Ontario
New York Islanders vs New York Rangers
340 all-time meetings
Battle of New York
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals
320 all-time meetings
Crosby vs Ovechkin
Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings
827 all-time meetings
Original Six · West-meets-East
Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers
307 all-time meetings
Battle of Alberta
Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings
170 all-time meetings
Avalanche-Wings classic
League Leaders
- 1Montréal Canadiens4,069
- 2Boston Bruins3,815
- 3Toronto Maple Leafs3,495
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NHL team has the most all-time regular-season and playoff wins?
The Montréal Canadiens lead the NHL with 4,069 all-time wins across every head-to-head matchup tracked on SharkBetting, ahead of the Boston Bruins (3,815) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (3,495). Totals combine regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff games from 1917 onward and refresh after every game.
What is the most-played matchup in NHL history?
The Boston Bruins and Montréal Canadiens have met 940 times — the highest game total of any pairing in NHL history. Both Original Six rivals share more than a century of regular-season meetings plus dozens of playoff series, which is why no other matchup comes close. Browse every result on the dedicated head-to-head page.
Which NHL team has the longest active winning streak in a single matchup?
The Montréal Canadiens currently lead the league with a 11-game winning streak against the California Golden Seals. Head-to-head streaks cross seasons, so a long run typically points to a stylistic edge, a coaching gap, or a goaltending mismatch that the loser hasn't yet solved. Streaks recompute after every completed game.
How are ties handled in NHL head-to-head records?
Before the 2005-06 season, NHL regulation games could end in a tie. SharkBetting tracks ties separately so pre-2005 totals stay accurate — a Bruins-Canadiens W-L-T of 368-471-101 is shown as W-L-T (not collapsed into W-L). Since the 2005 lockout, every regulation tie is resolved by overtime or a shootout, so ties only appear in older data.
How are franchise relocations handled (Nordiques, Whalers, Thrashers)?
Franchise lineage merges into the modern team: Quebec Nordiques games count for the Colorado Avalanche, Hartford Whalers count for the Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers count for the modern Winnipeg Jets, and Atlanta Flames count for Calgary. Historic team names are kept on the team page for context, but H2H tables roll them up so you see one continuous record per modern franchise.
How many unique NHL head-to-head matchups are there?
The modern NHL has 32 franchises, which yields 32 × 31 / 2 = 496 unique team-vs-team matchups. SharkBetting tracks all of them plus historic franchise pairings (Maroons, original Senators, Brooklyn Americans, etc.), bringing the total to 577 committed matchup pages. Each one covers regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff results back to 1917.
How far back does SharkBetting NHL head-to-head data go?
Score-level records go back to the 1917-18 NHL season, the league's first year. Coverage is complete for every regular-season and playoff game since then, including the dead-puck era and the original Stanley Cup challenge era's NHL portion. Detailed game logs (date, location, score, playoff flag) are available for each pair; per-player stats are not currently in scope for NHL.
How Bettors Use This Hub
Verify rink-edge advantage
Season-long home splits hide matchup-specific quirks. Open any matchup page and check the home vs road record against a single opponent before trusting a closing puckline.
Spot streak mismatches
A team dominating the league overall can still lose four in a row to one specific rival. The "Longest Active Streak" leader above is a fast entry point into the biggest current style mismatches.
Compare era by era
Every matchup page breaks the record down by decade. Pre-2005 numbers come from a very different game (no shootout, more ties, more clutching) and shouldn't be blended directly with the modern era.
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Historic franchises (16)
Franchises that relocated, merged, or folded. Where lineage is unbroken, all head-to-head numbers count for the modern descendant.
- Arizona Coyotes→ UTAFranchise relocated to Salt Lake City as Utah Hockey Club (2024-25), then rebranded as Utah Mammoth (2025-26+). For all-time H2H purposes, Coyotes games merge into UTA.
- Atlanta Flames→ CGYAtlanta Flames (1972-80) relocated to become the Calgary Flames (1980+).
- Atlanta Thrashers→ WPGAtlanta Thrashers (1999-2011) relocated to become the modern Winnipeg Jets (2011+).
- Cleveland Barons→ DALCleveland Barons (1976-78) was the relocated California Golden Seals. Absorbed by Minnesota North Stars in 1978; that combined franchise relocated to Dallas in 1993 (Dallas Stars).
- Colorado Rockies→ NJDColorado Rockies (1976-82) was the relocated Kansas City Scouts (1974-76). Relocated to become the New Jersey Devils (1982+). Note: distinct from the modern Colorado Avalanche (1995+, formerly Quebec Nordiques).
- Detroit Cougars→ DETDetroit Cougars (1926-30) was the original name of the franchise that became the Detroit Falcons (1930-32) and then the Detroit Red Wings (1932+).
- Detroit Falcons→ DETDetroit Falcons (1930-32) was the bridge name between Detroit Cougars (1926-30) and Detroit Red Wings (1932+).
- Hartford Whalers→ CARHartford Whalers (1979-97) relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes (1997+).
- Kansas City Scouts→ NJDKansas City Scouts (1974-76) relocated to become the Colorado Rockies (1976-82) and then the New Jersey Devils (1982+).
- Minnesota North Stars→ DALMinnesota North Stars (1967-93) absorbed the Cleveland Barons (1978) and relocated to Dallas in 1993 (Dallas Stars).
- Oakland Seals→ DALOakland Seals (1967-70) was renamed California Golden Seals (1970-76), relocated to Cleveland (1976-78), then absorbed by Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars).
- Phoenix Coyotes→ UTAPhoenix Coyotes (1996-2014) was renamed Arizona Coyotes (2014-24), then relocated to Salt Lake City as Utah Hockey Club (2024-25), then rebranded as Utah Mammoth (2025+).
- Quebec Nordiques→ COLQuebec Nordiques (1979-95, joined NHL from WHA) relocated to become the Colorado Avalanche (1995+).
- Toronto Arenas→ TORToronto Arenas (1917-19) was the original name of the franchise that became the Toronto St. Patricks (1919-27) and then the Toronto Maple Leafs (1927+).
- Toronto St. Patricks→ TORToronto St. Patricks (1919-27) was the bridge name between Toronto Arenas (1917-19) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1927+).
- Winnipeg Jets (1979)→ UTAOriginal Winnipeg Jets (1979-96, joined NHL from WHA) relocated as Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2014), then Arizona Coyotes (2014-24), then Utah Hockey Club / Mammoth (2024+). Distinct from the modern Winnipeg Jets (2011+, formerly Atlanta Thrashers).
Methodology & Data Sources
Last updated
Every head-to-head page on SharkBetting is built from verified historical data, not generated prose. Regular-season and playoff game logs for the NHL are pulled from the official NHL api-web data service (coverage from 1917 onward). Coach matchups, arena history, and franchise lineage are cross-checked against hockey-reference.com. Award winners (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Conn Smythe) are sourced from league records and filtered to each franchise including historic relocations.
Stats are refreshed after every completed game day. If you spot an error, head to our contact page with the game date and we will verify against the source feeds.