Are there already teams in must win games? Craig Button breaks down the early NHL season

By: Andrew Benson
RP Show Intern

The NHL is officially one week into its regular season, and while some teams have come out hot, other teams are still trying to find their footing on the ice.

On Tuesday’s episode of The Rod Pedersen Show, TSN’s Craig Button joined us to talk about some of the teams who are still looking for that first win of the season and which teams are already in must win situations.

“I would say the Winnipeg Jets should be the most concerned,” said Button. “I see them as a really good team. A team more than capable of being one of the last four standing.”

The Jets have dropped their first two games of the season, after losing 4-1 against the Anaheim Ducks, and 4-3 against the San Jose Sharks.

“They had an opportunity to get some points against teams that I think are inferior, and they lose both those games,” said Button. Tonight, the Jets have a matchup with the undefeated Minnesota Wild, before heading to Winnipeg for the home opener on Thursday.

“I never like to get into the ‘this is a big game talk’ but right now, the way the Jets have played and lost their first two games, 0-3 is not a good look,” said Button.

Winnipeg’s team isn’t the only franchise without a win this season.

In the Eastern conference, the Montreal Canadians and the New York Islanders are still looking for their first victory.

The western conference has struggled a little more, with  5 teams still without a win: Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg jets and the Calgary Flames have all not won a game.

Rod Pedersen has been keeping his eye on the Flames but said he doesn’t expect the team to be winless for very much longer.

“I can say this about the Calgary Flames, it is not a talent issue,” said Pedersen. “This is a team that finished first in the western conference just a few years ago.  But I don’t know how long the fans are going to put up with mental mistakes and errors. Because that is all it is. All the mistakes are between the ears. It’s not a talent thing.”

Button said just as the Jets need some work, so do the Flames.

“What teams like the Calgary Flames do, is they play well enough to show you promise, but not well enough to emerge with a win.”

The question of which winless team should be most worried is one that we will continue to watch throughout the upcoming days, but for now, our eyes are on the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames to see who can flip the switch first.