For slow starters, playoff hopes can die in October

To paraphrase Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bill Guerin, a Stanley Cup can't be won in October, but teams certainly can start losing it. The same goes for a playoff berth. Despite their slow starts, teams like Detroit and Vancouver likely won't have to worry about that. There's just too much talent on those rosters.  But for bubble teams, a slow start is not a luxury they can afford. That's why, for the following five franchises, a strong October is a must: 1. Nashville Predators In their push to make the playoffs last season, the Predators had a February in which they went 10-4-1 and a March in which they earned points in 11-of-14 games. But they still failed to qualify, thanks to a mediocre start.   Coach Barry Trotz said the team entered training camp ticked off about that and vowed to start the season better. How will they do it? "Some of the maturity of our younger players, that were maybe a little bit over their head (last year) — they loo...