That was one of Ron Caron’s classic lines, typically uttered when his team suffered a poor start to the season. And it is appropriate now.

The season is just a few weeks old and already we’re sensing much angst around the National Hockey League.

The Blues lost back-to-back home games after beating Detroit twice in Sweden. Defenseman Barret Jackman suffered an ankle injury and coach Andy Murray has already sat second-year center Patrik Berglund as a healthy scratch.

Could former first-round pick Alex Pietrangelo add some sizzle to the defensive unit? Murray has his doubts, so the next few weeks will be interesting.

Here are some of the panic points around the NHL:

• The Maple Leafs are winless at 0-4-1. This is the franchise’s worst start in 20 years. Given GM Brian Burke’s massive ego, you can bet change is forthcoming. Coach Ron Wilson benched forwards Matt Stajan and Niklas Hagman Tuesday.

“Why not?” coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto Sun. “We need more from everyone, we’re giving opportunities to younger guys.”

Is it too soon to regard Wilson as “on the spot”? Apparently not.

• The Panthers opened the season by beating Chicago in Finland, but they haven’t won a game since then. Their 1-4-0 start is tied for their worst start ever. They are in the midst of their first four-game losing streak since 2005.

Coach Pete DeBoer saw overall progress during a 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay, but believed Tomas Vokoun needed to be better. “That’s the best 60 minutes we’ve played,” he told the Miami Herald. “We did a lot of things right. Those goals in the third period, Tomas would like to have back. Other than that, we played a good game. Yeah, it’s frustrating, especially this time of year. But the positive side of it is I saw the way we’ll be able to play. I saw a real game for the first time since we’ve been back from Europe.”

• The Wild is 1-3-0 with 15 goals allowed in four games. Rugged winger Cal Clutterbuck could miss significant time with a sprained ankle and linemates Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion) and Petr Sykora (groin strain) are also hurting.

Is general manager Chuck Fletcher on the prowl for help? “You’re always looking,” Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “But we like our group. We like our players. At this point, the prudent thing to do is see what we’ve got here, give a couple guys from Houston a chance to play. Obviously if there’s an opportunity to improve our team we’ll do it. But there’s not a sense of urgency that we have to do something immediately.”

• The Bruins opened the season with a five-game homestand and won just two of those games, allowing 19 goals in the process.

“I can’t get in their heads,” coach Claude Julien told reporters during his postgame press conference. “There’s a time where you’re working hard and getting chances, looking like the old team, and then you shoot yourself in the foot.”

AROUND THE RINKS: Can Craig Anderson keep up his hot play in goal for the Avalanche? If he can, that changes the race . . . Is it time for the NHL to consider a more enlightened format for its standings? . . . For the time being, Derek Armstrong will toil in Peoria for the Blues’ AHL affiliate. Also back with the Rivermen is rugged defenseman Tyson Strachan, who got a brief recall to St. Louis after Jackman went down . . . The Red Wings have some work to do, given the exit and/or demise of key players off last year’s team. The previously unbeaten Flames blew a 5-0 lead at Chicago and fell 6-5. New coach Brent Sutter had concerns, as you would expect. “It’s a huge lack of mental toughness within the group,” he told the Calgary Sun. “It says more and more about how much work needs to be done with this group. It’s not just about structure or anything like that. It’s about stuff between their ears. The game is 90 percent mental, and they’re a group that still is trying to figure out where they’re at.”