The Gauntlet
Gauntlet upsets
45 of 110 Gauntlet games went to the team that finished lower in the NHL standings the season before.
Counting every Gauntlet game since 2023-24. The seasons before 2026-27 are the Gauntlet run on their real NHL results.
Upsets by season
| Season | Upsets |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 9 of 20 |
| 2025-26 | 16 of 31 |
| 2024-25 | 12 of 30 |
| 2023-24 | 8 of 29 |
Every upset, biggest first
| Game | Places |
|---|---|
| 2025-26, QuarterfinalsKraken 5, Jets 3 | 27th over 1st |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightRangers 4, Lightning 1 | 30th over 5th |
| 2025-26, Qualification nightKraken 2, Golden Knights 1 | 27th over 3rd |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightSenators 4, Hurricanes 3 (virtual game) | 26th over 3rd |
| 2025-26, Round of 16Ducks 7, Stars 5 | 25th over 5th |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightJets 5, Wild 2 | 26th over 7th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightBlue Jackets 6, Maple Leafs 2 | 29th over 10th |
| 2025-26, Round of 16Bruins 2, Hurricanes 1 | 28th over 10th |
| 2025-26, Round of 16Kraken 3, Oilers 2 | 27th over 9th |
| 2025-26, Qualification nightRed Wings 6, Maple Leafs 3 | 21st over 4th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightSabres 4, Panthers 1 (virtual game) | 22nd over 5th |
| 2023-24, SemifinalsSabres 5, Devils 2 | 20th over 3rd |
| 2024-25, QuarterfinalsBlue Jackets 7, Lightning 6 | 29th over 13th |
| 2023-24, QuarterfinalsSabres 9, Maple Leafs 3 | 20th over 4th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightFlames 4, Oilers 2 (virtual game) | 24th over 9th |
| 2025-26, QuarterfinalsDevils 3, Capitals 2 | 16th over 2nd |
| 2026-27, Round of 16Kraken 5, Mammoth 3 | 27th over 15th |
| 2025-26, SemifinalsBruins 4, Devils 1 | 28th over 16th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightPenguins 3, Bruins 0 (virtual game) | 19th over 7th |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightFlames 4, Ducks 2 | 29th over 18th |
| 2023-24, Round of 16Sabres 5, Rangers 1 | 20th over 9th |
| 2023-24, Qualification nightLightning 3, Hurricanes 0 | 13th over 2nd |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightIslanders 3, Senators 2 (virtual game) | 19th over 9th |
| 2025-26, Round of 16Red Wings 4, Panthers 1 | 21st over 11th |
| 2024-25, Round of 16Blue Jackets 6, Penguins 2 | 29th over 19th |
| 2025-26, Qualification nightDevils 5, Lightning 3 | 16th over 7th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightWild 5, Predators 4 (virtual game) | 20th over 11th |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightPanthers 7, Blue Jackets 3 | 25th over 17th |
| 2024-25, QuarterfinalsGolden Knights 3, Canucks 1 | 14th over 6th |
| 2025-26, QuarterfinalsBruins 3, Red Wings 2 | 28th over 21st |
| 2023-24, QuarterfinalsKraken 3, Golden Knights 0 | 12th over 5th |
| 2025-26, QuarterfinalsDucks 3, Mammoth 2 | 25th over 19th |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightDevils 5, Red Wings 4 | 21st over 16th |
| 2025-26, Round of 16Mammoth 7, Blues 4 | 19th over 14th |
| 2023-24, Qualification nightWild 7, Oilers 4 | 11th over 6th |
| 2024-25, Round of 16Sabres 5, Red Wings 3 | 22nd over 18th |
| 2023-24, Qualification nightCanucks 3, Predators 2 | 22nd over 18th |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightKraken 3, Sharks 3 (virtual game) | 27th over 24th |
| 2025-26, Qualification nightBlue Jackets 7, Canadiens 3 (virtual game) | 20th over 17th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightRed Wings 1, Islanders 0 | 18th over 15th |
| 2026-27, Qualification nightCanadiens 4, Sabres 3 | 6th over 4th |
| 2025-26, SemifinalsKraken 3, Ducks 1 | 27th over 25th |
| 2025-26, Qualification nightBruins 3, Sabres 1 | 28th over 26th |
| 2024-25, Qualification nightGolden Knights 6, Kings 1 | 14th over 12th |
| 2023-24, QuarterfinalsDevils 2, Bruins 1 | 3rd over 1st |
Places are each team's finish in the NHL standings the season before, the order the Gauntlet seeds teams by. A bigger gap is a bigger upset.
What is the Gauntlet?
A proposal for an NHL in-season tournament. All 32 teams start alive, every Gauntlet game is a game already on the regular-season schedule, and lose one and you are out.