Early in the 2026-27 NHL season, strong starts by established contenders such as the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and New York Rangers have positioned multiple clubs on pace for well over 90 points in the expanded 84-game schedule. Preseason projections from models like The Athletic’s forecast anticipated roughly 16-20 teams clearing that threshold, driven by depth in the Atlantic, Metropolitan, and Pacific divisions alongside improved rosters in Utah and Ottawa. Recent results highlight defensive structure and special-teams efficiency as key differentiators, while bottom clubs like the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames lag significantly. Over the remaining schedule, injury management, back-to-back travel, and divisional matchups will shape which teams sustain the necessary point-per-game rate near or above 1.07 to finish above 90.