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The standings in the National Hockey League are based on the number of games won during the regular season. Two points are awarded for a victory in regulation time, and no points for a loss. A single point is awarded to each team if the game is tied at the end of regulation, and an additional point is given to the team that wins in either overtime or the shootout. The teams are ranked starting with the team that has the most points at the top and descending from there.

There are 82 games in an NHL regular season, so there is the potential for a team to earn up to 164 points in one season. The team that finishes the regular season with the most points is awarded the President's Trophy. The most points a team has ever earned in one regular season was 132 by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976-77 season. In the 2007-08 season the Detroit Red Wings won the President's Trophy with 115 regular season points.

The NHL standings are often reported by Conference and Division. There are 30 teams in the NHL divided into two conferences and further divided into three divisions in each conference. The Western Conference includes the Central, Northwest, and Pacific divisions, and the Eastern Conference includes the Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast divisions. There are five teams in each division.

If two teams are tied in points there are several tie breaking rules. First, if the tie occurs during the season, the team that has played fewer games will be ranked higher in the standings. If both teams have played the same number of games, the team with the most victories will be placed higher in the standings. If both teams have won the same number of games, the team that earned the most points in games between the teams will be placed higher. If the two teams are still tied, the team with the greatest difference between goals scored and goals scored against will be placed first in the standings.

The NHL standings at the end of the season determine who will play in the playoffs. The top 8 teams in each conference make the playoffs. In the first round the 1st place team plays the 8th place team, the 2nd place team plays the 7th place team, and so on. The regular season standings also determine which teams have home ice advantage. In a 7 game playoff series the team with home ice advantage gets to play an extra game in their home venue. The team that ranked higher in the NHL regular season standings has home ice advantage during a playoff series.

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