Must-Win Teams

FanSided

Boston Bruins: Right now, Boston has played 51 games this season — the most among teams in that division. With the rut Boston is in right now, they simply cannot afford to go on a losing skid. In their last 11 games, Boston is 4–5–2. A lot of attention has been drawn to head coach Claude Julien regarding his future in Boston. Being tied with Philadelphia right now for the last wild card spot and with several other teams on their tail, Boston cannot afford to continue to perform poorly. Boston is among the teams in must-win mode currently — especially if they want a shot at the playoffs come April.

Florida Panthers: The Panthers have not been able to stay healthy this season. Losing Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov for the year puts this team in a major hole in terms of offensive production. After finishing first in the Atlantic with 103 points last season, and Florida is only 2 points away from a playoff spot right now. The Panthers leave themselves with no room for error. It’s been a tough year for Florida: firing their head coach and losing their top two forwards for the rest of the season is going to be an uphill battle.

St. Louis Blues: Earlier in the year the Blues looked to be a definite playoff team. But right now, with St. Louis facing some goalie difficulties and going 5–6–0 in their last 11, this team is in must-win mode. With the Los Angeles Kings and three other teams within reach of knocking them out of a wild card spot, the Blues are in panic mode. If the Blues can get Jake Allen back to performing like he did earlier in the year, this team has a shot. If not, the Blues are looking at an early offseason.

Dallas Stars: After finishing first in the Central last season with 109 points, this Dallas team currently sits 4 points out of a wild card spot. Again, the Stars are facing a goalie controversy between Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. The Stars score a considerable amount of goals, but also give up a great deal of them. First off, their power play needs to perform at a much better rate, as well as their penalty kill. Ranking 29th in the NHL in penalty kill percentage never makes winning games any easier. Production from players like Jamie Benn will need to increase substantially in order for this team to make a run for the playoffs.