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Poll: Who will be the last NHL team with 0 points?

Miikka Kiprusoff

Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, from Finland, lets in a goal from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

AP

The NHL season is a week old today. It’s too early to assume that we’ve genuinely learned anything, even if some teams are putting some tantalizing appetizers on the table.

To give you a sense of the parity in the league - and the prevalence of the “charity point” - there are only two teams who haven’t earned a single standings point yet: the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. Before you snicker too much at those Canadian clubs, it’s important to note that the Flames have played in just two games and the Jets’ only game of the season was that fun-killing loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Meanwhile, four NHL teams have already played in four contests, including the league-leading Pittsburgh Penguins (3-0-1 for seven points).

Even with those very reasonable excuses in mind, the fun and unfair question is: will the Flames or Jets be the NHL’s final team stuck at zero points? Before you decide, you might want to take a look at their near-future schedules.

Jets’ next three games

Oct. 13 at Chicago (8:30 pm ET)
Oct. 15 at Phoenix (7 pm ET)
Oct. 17 vs. Pittsburgh at home (8:30 pm ET)

Flames’ next three games

Oct. 13 at Montreal (7:30 pm ET)
Oct. 15 at Toronto (7 pm ET)
Oct. 18 vs. Edmonton at home (9:30 pm ET)

Looking at their near-future schedules, the Flames have it easier than the Jets and they also start earlier today. If you think the two teams will manage the unlikely feat of losing during regulation of all three of their respective contests, Calgary will have five more home games in a row after that Oilers game while the majority of the Jets’ games are on the road.

If you ask me, the Flames should probably earn a point first. What do you think, though? Vote in the poll to let us know which team will avoid (a largely unfair) title as the last pointless team in the NHL.

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