Panthers made strides despite losing in Cup Qualifiers

The Florida Panthers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Qualifiers by the New York Islanders following a 5-1 loss in Game 4 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city, on Friday.

Florida lost the first two games of the series before staying alive with a 3-2 win in Game 3, but it was unable to build off that momentum and force a deciding game.

The Panthers qualified for the postseason as the No. 10 seed from the East after they were 35-26-8 (.565 points percentage) in the regular season.

Here is a look at what happened during the 2020 postseason for the Panthers and why things could be even better next season:

The Skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents:Mike Hoffman, F; Evgenii Dadonov, F; Erik Haula, C; Brian Boyle, C; Mark Pysyk, D

Potential restricted free agents:Dominic Toninato, C; Aleksi Saarela, C; Dryden Hunt, F; Lucas Wallmark, F; MacKenzie Weegar, D; Josh Brown, D

Potential 2020 NHL Draft picks: 7

What went wrong

Overmatched at even strength:The Panthers were tied for 10th in the NHL on the power play during the regular season (21.3 percent), and although they scored at least one goal with the man-advantage in each of the last three games of the series (4-for-14 overall), they generated very little at 5-on-5. Florida scored three goals at even strength, and one of them came from Hoffman four seconds after a power play expired in Game 2. With the season on the line in Game 4, Florida allowed 15 shots on goal at even strength in the first period.

Bobrovsky outplayed:He made several highlight-reel saves during the series, but Sergei Bobrovsky finished with a 3.08 goals-against average and .901 save percentage compared to Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov, who had a 1.76 GAA and .932 save percentage in the four games. Bobrovsky got off to a rough start in Game 4 as Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier scored with a backhand from a sharp angle that redirected in off his right skate midway through the first period.

Lack of support: Hoffman had a solid series (three goals, two assists) and Aleksander Barkov (one goal, three assists) averaged a point per game, but forward Jonathan Huberdeau had one goal and two assists after leading the Panthers with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) in 69 games during the regular season. Hoffman, Barkov and Huberdeau were the only Panthers forwards who had more than one point in the series; Brett Connolly did not have a point and was minus-5.

Reasons for optimism

Strides under Quenneville: Coach Joel Quenneville wasted little time in getting the Panthers back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Barkov (24) and Huberdeau (27) still have plenty of bright years ahead, and Quenneville knows how to coach young stars, evidenced by the three Stanley Cup championships he won with the Chicago Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015).

Help is on the way:Florida may need to plug holes up front if Hoffman and Dadonov leave as unrestricted free agents, but its system shows promise. Forward Owen Tippett (21 years old), the No. 10 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, had 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 46 games with Springfield of the American Hockey League this season, and Saarela (23) played in Game 2 against the Islanders after having four points (two goals, two assists) in nine games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Defenseman Riley Stillman (22) also made huge strides and played three of the four postseason games.

Bobrovsky is settled: He struggled in his first season in Florida after signing a seven-year, $70 million contract on July 1, 2019, but the adjustment process for Bobrovsky will be over by the time training camp for the 2020-21 season gets underway. A two-time Vezina Trophy winner (2013, 2017), Bobrovsky could bounce back in a big way next season.