Five NHL teams are standing out in a bad way early this season
The NHL's Canucks, Avalanche, Predators, Oilers, and Red Wings have all struggled early this season, and their poor performances have been surprising.
It's not unusual for good teams to stumble in the first few weeks of the season, but seeing these squads near the bottom of their divisions is unexpected. Let's break down what's been going wrong for each team:
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche have lost key depth players from their 2021-22 Stanley Cup-winning team, and this season hasn't started well. With captain Gabriel Landeskog and forward Valeri Nichushkin out, and their goaltending struggling, Colorado has lost all four of their opening games.
Their offense has been average, scoring 3.25 goals per game, but their defense has been terrible, allowing a league-worst 6.25 goals per game. With a strong defensive lineup on paper, it's surprising how poor the Avs have been defensively. GM Chris MacFarland has already picked up goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to try and fix their issues. If the Avalanche don't turn things around soon, it might be time to panic.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings were expected to improve and push for the playoffs this year, but their start hasn't been promising. Detroit has gone 1-2-0 in their first three games, with their defense performing decently (3.33 goals allowed per game), but their offense has been a problem, managing just 2.33 goals per game-one of the worst in the league.
Only a handful of players have scored consistently & Detroit faces tough upcoming games against teams like the Rangers, Predators, Islanders & Devils. If they don't improve soon their playoff hopes could slip away.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have had a rough start losing their first three games by a combined score of 15-3 similar to their struggles last season. Surprisingly their offense which was expected to be high powered has only averaged 1.75 goals per game in their first four matches.
Their defense has also been weak, allowing 4.50 goals per game. While many expected the Oilers to be Cup contenders this year, they'll need a better effort from the entire roster to get back on track and secure home-ice advantage for the playoffs.
Nashville Predators
After an aggressive offseason, the Predators were expected to challenge for the top spot in the Central Division. However, they've started 0-3-0, getting outscored 14-6 in losses to the Stars, Red Wings, and Kraken.
Despite adding players like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, Nashville's offense has been the second-worst in the NHL (just two goals per game), and their defense hasn't been much better, allowing 4.67 goals per game. Coach Andrew Brunette has already criticized his team's sloppy play & the Predators need to turn things around quickly.
Vancouver Canucks
After a strong season last year the Canucks have disappointed with three straight losses to weaker teams (Calgary, Philadelphia & Tampa Bay). Vancouver's defense has struggled, allowing four goals per game, and their offense hasn't clicked, scoring just 2.67 goals per game.
Key players like Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson have been quiet, putting pressure on the rest of the team. With tough matchups ahead, the Canucks need a quick turnaround to avoid falling behind in the standings.
Each of these teams has time to recover, but their early-season struggles are concerning, and they'll need to improve quickly to meet expectations.
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