The Backcheck: Lightning drop second-straight game

The Tampa Bay Lightning saw their franchise record 16-game home point streak come to an end Tuesday night with a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
"We're getting outplayed, like every game (lately) we're getting outplayed," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. "Whether it's just small pockets of the game or what have you."

With Florida missing their top two centers in Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett on Tuesday, the Bolts were only able to muster 11 shots on goal through the first 40 minutes of the game.
"The Pittsburgh game, we didn't really get outplayed," said Cooper. "We just had a dreadful five minutes or whatever it was. We got outplayed in the Detroit game and I thought much of the Buffalo game, until the third period, we were getting outplayed.
"We've got to look ourselves in the mirror and say, 'Why is that?' Because our formula hasn't changed. Our gameplan hasn't changed. So, it's probably something inside us. We've just got to figure that out."

The Lightning got out to a pretty strong start against the Panthers and generated some good looks over the first few minutes of the game, but once Eric Staal opened the scoring at the 6:19 mark with a deflection from the high slot, things began to unravel for the Bolts.
After outshooting Florida 4-2 through the first five minutes of the game, Tampa Bay failed to record a shot on goal for the final 15:21 of the opening period.
Anton Lundell scored at the 15:56 mark to make it 2-0 before Eetu Luostarinen made it 3-0 just 1:41 later. The Panthers nearly added a fourth goal before the end of the first period, but Cooper successfully challenged for goaltender interference and the goal was overturned, sending the Bolts to the first intermission trailing 3-0 after getting outshot 16-4.
"It's just been a tough stretch," said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. "We're just not playing well enough. We're not executing well enough. And it's on us, as players, to demand more of ourselves and be better.
"That's a disappointing one coming off the game that we had last game. You say, 'It was the end of a back-to-back. Let's refocus at home.'
"Then after one, it's three-zip, so that's not acceptable. We have to take responsibility for that as players."
Stamkos made a nice play while on the power play in the second period to find Brayden Point in the slot before Point had an easy tap-in for his 37th goal of the season, but that would be the only goal of the game for Tampa Bay after having two goals called back, one for offside and another for goaltender interference.

"That's the game we play," said Bolts forward Nick Paul when asked about the frustration of the two disallowed goals. "You've just got to keep going. Keep the momentum. The bench has got to keep it up.
"We've got to build our own jam, per se, and just keep at it. That's the way the game goes sometimes, but you've just got to stick to it and find a way.
"These last couple games, execution hasn't been there. When that stuff happens, we've just got to find a way to get it done."
The Lightning had a good push in the third period, outshooting the Panthers 19-4, but couldn't find a way to get one past Sergei Bobrovsky before Anthony Duclair buried an empty-net goal to conclude the 4-1 loss for Tampa Bay.
"We're not ringing alarm bells right now," said Cooper. "But it is a little troubling what's going on. It's been tough because you usually get some breaks, a little practice time, and you can iron things out, but we don't have that.
"You kind of have to rely on what you've done through the first 50 games to get you through this. But there has to be a will and a want. Right now, we're just maybe picking and choosing when that happens.
"Plus, our execution, quite frankly, sucks right now. I don't know what's going on. It's almost like we can't make three consecutive passes and I don't know why, because we're too good for that. We'll come out of that."
With games every other day until the end of March and multiple back-to-backs thrown into the mix as well, the Lightning are going to have to figure things out on the fly. Despite earning two points in Detroit, it's been a rough four-game stretch.

With that being said, all four teams the Bolts have played during that stretch are teams fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot, and with Tampa Bay where they are in the standings, it's easy to understand how the opposition may have more of a will and want in those games.
But it's the National Hockey League and those excuses aren't going to fly. Cooper knows that, as do the players. I'd expect a much crisper effort from the Lightning on Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins make their way into AMALIE Arena.
"It's 20 games left in the season," said Stamkos. "It's do or die for those teams and we've got to match that mentality. We can't just say, 'Hey, we're a couple points up. Let's just cruise control into the playoffs.'
"If we do that, shame on us. You're going to get results like we're getting.
"Like I said, I've got lots of confidence in this group. We've been through a lot of ups and downs together and we've responded well. So, let's go out and respond well.
"But we do have to take responsibility, myself included, as the leader of this team. Let's be better. Let's stay positive, but at the same time, realize we've got to be better out there."