10 NHL Teams That Can Hit the Panic Button Now

Though the 2011-12 NHL season is still relatively young, there are a few teams that have struggled to win games and are seeing their playoff hopes slowly slip away.

Shaky starts are often corrected, and it's not uncommon to see a club that was at the bottom of the standings end up making a playoff run. Still, the regular season is more than a quarter of the way done and picking up points is becoming increasingly important.

The 10 squads listed in this article have plenty of time to turn it around, and I don't doubt that some of them may end up in the playoff picture by season's end. With that said, the following teams are in very hot water at the moment. 

Columbus Blue Jackets

Since this piece is focused on struggling teams, why not start with the club ranked dead last in the league?

The Columbus Blue Jackets added two key players this offseason, defenseman James Wisniewski and center Jeff Carter, in an attempt to craft a playoff-caliber lineup. The acquisition of these two players filled what were the Blue Jackets' biggest holes last year: a puck-moving defenseman and a first-line pivot. 

As demonstrated by their abysmal record of 6-14-3, this summer's retooling hasn't quite worked out as planned.

Carter has been decent but extremely streaky, while Wisniewski has put up points (10 in 15 games played) but has been lackluster in his own zone. Both players have missed time due to injury as well. 

With a mediocre defense corps and little in the way of secondary scoring, as well as a severe lack of talent and experience in net, the Blue Jackets aren't likely to earn a playoff berth and may end up with a lottery pick in next summer's entry draft. 

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are the most scored against team in the NHL, with a whopping 86 goals against. They have been particularly bad over the course of their last 10 games, of which they have won only three.

The bulk of Carolina's struggles can be attributed to the poor play of their big guns. Netminder Cam Ward has a subpar goals-against average of 3.05 and an underwhelming .905 save percentage. Top defenseman Joni Pitkanen has just nine points and is a minus-11.

Captain Eric Staal, who has been the undisputed leader and best player for the Hurricanes for years, has netted five goals and registered only 12 points in 26 games. Even more mind-boggling is his appalling minus-18 rating.

The playoff hopes Carolina entered the season with are steadily dwindling. 

Calgary Flames

Are we finally witnessing the decline of Jarome Iginla?

He has been, without a doubt, one of the league's top scorers and best power forwards for the majority of his NHL career. He tallied 43 goals and added 43 helpers for 86 points last season, showing the hockey world that he still has some gas left in the tank. 

This year, however, he has been a non-factor offensively. The 34-year-old winger has 11 points in 22 games and is a minus-eight. 

Similar to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Calgary Flames are having trouble winning because their top players aren't performing. In addition to Iginla, winger Rene Bourque and rearguards Jay Bouwmeester and Mark Giordano have been ineffective in the offensive zone.

The Flames' 9-12-1 record has them ranked 13th in the Western Conference and 27th in the league. Calgary fans don't have much to cheer for right now.   

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders, who have endured years of mediocrity prior to this season, currently sit at last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 7-11-4. They have scored fewer goals than every other team in the league, with a measly 43 in 22 games. 

Needless to say, offense has been the key area of concern. While John Tavares and Matt Moulson have been solid, winger Kyle Okposo (six points), sniper Michael Grabner (11 points) and pivot Frans Nielsen (10 points) have left a lot to be desired.

The lack of experience on the back end has also caused problems for the Islanders, who have just one scoring threat (Mark Streit) on defense.

If, and that's a pretty big if, they can add a puck-moving rearguard to the mix and get some offensive production from their second and third lines, the Islanders may be able to salvage this season.

If not, it'll be yet another year without playoff hockey on Long Island.   

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche aren't in terrible shape, but at 10-13-1 for 12th in the West, they have a lot of room to improve. 

Colorado is 3-7-0 in their last 10 games, indicating that their situation is becoming more dire. Their 4-9-0 record on home ice is also disheartening. 

While the Avalanche haven't struggled to put the puck in the net, they have had a hard time keeping the puck out of their own. They've allowed 73 goals against, making them the fourth-most scored upon club in the Western Conference. 

Newly acquired Russian goaltender Semyon Varlamov has struggled between the pipes, largely contributing to his team's poor record. 

Washington Capitals

After an incredible 7-0-0 start to the season, the Washington Capitals have plummeted back down to Earth.

They're on a three-game losing streak and have lost seven of their last 10 matches. After starting the season off in first place, they now find themselves in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 12-10-1. 

That's right: they've only won five of their last 16 games. 

The recent firing of Bruce Boudreau tells us that the panic button has already been hit in Washington. Let's see if they can turn it around under new head coach and former Capitals captain Dale Hunter. 

Winnipeg Jets

Outside of Winnipeg, it's likely that no one was expecting much from the Jets this year. After all, the roster is almost identical to that of last season's Atlanta Thrashers, who missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

The Jets are currently ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 9-11-4 record. They have dropped their last two games and have struggled to win games on the road, with an away record of 4-7-4.

Winnipeg's Achilles heel has been defense and inconsistent goaltending. They have allowed 80 goals against, the third most in the entire league after the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators.

Netminder Ondrej Pavelec has had a very poor season, with an unimpressive 3.29 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. If he can step it up a notch, the Jets may be able to chain together some wins and earn a low seed in the East.

Their offense is strong and they have some difference-makers on defense in Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom.  

Tampa Bay Lightning

They're only two points out of eighth place in their conference, but the Tampa Bay Lightning were expected to have a much stronger start to the season after their impressive run to the Eastern Conference final last year. 

Tampa's record of 11-10-2 has the team in 11th in the East. Considering how dominant its top players have been, you'd expect that record to be much better...until you look at veteran goaltender Dwayne Roloson's stats. 

Acquired from the New York Islanders in exchange for prospect Ty Wishart last season, Roloson played very well for the Lightning upon his arrival and was outstanding during their lengthy playoff run. He re-signed with the club this summer and came into the season as their No. 1 goalie. 

The 42-year-old netminder has been unable to return to that same high level of play, however. In 14 starts this season, Roloson has won just six games and has a save percentage of .887 and a disappointing 3.46 goals-against average. 

Unless his play, as well as the play of the defense in front of him, improves drastically, the Lightning could be in serious trouble this season. 

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have been the victim of very unfortunate circumstances both this season and last. Their best rearguard, Russian puck-mover Andrei Markov, has been out of the lineup with an injury since last November. 

Also on the injured list are defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Chris Campoli and pivot Scott Gomez. The Canadiens were without recently returned winger Andrei Kostitsyn for 10 games, too.

These injuries, coupled with the poor play of Mike Cammalleri, have cost Montreal dearly. They're ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-10-4 , though they are just two points out of eighth like the Tampa Bay Lightning.

If Carey Price keeps stopping the puck like he has been and Cammalleri finds his game again soon, Montreal can salvage this season. For now, though, they're having a hard time winning.  

Anaheim Ducks

Arguably the most underachieving club in the NHL this season, the Anaheim Ducks are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games and have a shockingly terrible record of 6-13-4. 

It's difficult to pinpoint one problem the Ducks are having right now because, frankly, they're not doing anything right. They have mustered just 50 goals, which is the fewest scored in the Western Conference and the second fewest in the league. 

On top of that, they have allowed 76 goals against. This makes them the third-most scored on team in the West. 

First-line center Ryan Getzlaf is scoring at under a point-per-game pace for the first time since the 2006-07 season, and Bobby Ryan, who is reportedly being used as trade bait, has just 11 points in 23 games after scoring 71 points last year.

Netminder Jonas Hiller has been equally disappointing, with five wins in 20 starts, a 3.22 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage.

Anaheim's severe lack of success is surprising, considering its lineup is very similar to the one they iced last season. Secondary scoring was a known issue heading into the year, but even their top dogs are underperforming. It's definitely time to panic for the Ducks.  

Sam Kelly is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @samkelly10.