Panthers failed by lack of offense, sputtering special teams

The Florida Panthers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning when they lost 2-0 in Game 4 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round on Monday.

Florida (58-18-6) won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL regular-season points leader for the first time with 122, the most in its history. The Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals in six games in the first round, their first playoff series win since they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1996 Eastern Conference Final, But they were eliminated by the Lightning for the second straight season.
Tampa Bay defeated Florida in six games in the first round last season on its way to repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Noel Acciari, F; Ben Chiarot, D; Claude Giroux, F; Robert Hagg, D; Petteri Lindbohm, D; Maxim Mamin, F; Mason Marchment, F; Markus Nutivaara, D, Joe Thornton, F
Potential restricted free agents: Lucas Carlsson, D; Eetu Luostarinen, F
Potential 2022 Draft picks: 6
Here are five reasons the Panthers were eliminated:

1. High-scoring offense held in check

Florida led the NHL by averaging 4.11 goals per game during the regular season but scored three goals in the second round. With the Lightning avoiding the neutral-zone turnovers that fuel the Panthers' transition game, Florida's offensive stars were unable to break out.
Forward Jonathan Huberdeau had two assists in the series after tying for second in the NHL with 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists) during the regular season. Center Aleksander Barkov had one assist after he had 88 points (39 goals, 49 assists) during the regular season. Giroux, added in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 19 to further bolster the offense, had one assist in the series after he had 65 points (21 goals, 44 assists) during the regular season.
Forwards Sam Reinhart (33 goals in the regular season) and Anthony Duclair (31) each scored once.

2. Outwilled by a champion

Panthers coach Andrew Brunette acknowledged after a 5-1 loss in Game 3 on Sunday that the Lightning "have more will and more desire than we do, and it shows probably if you watch the game shift after shift right now."
That was most evident in Tampa Bay's 77-44 advantage in blocked shots in the series, but it was more than that. Through the first three games the Lightning won the majority of the battles and loose pucks. Florida upped its compete level in Game 4 and outshot Tampa Bay 49-26, but it wasn't enough.
The Lightning's experience and confidence from winning the Stanley Cup the past two seasons shone through in the biggest moments. Three of the four games, including Game 4, were tied heading into the third period and the Lightning won each in regulation.
RELATED: [Complete Panthers vs. Lightning series coverage]

3. Special teams struggles

Florida was outscored 11-1 on special teams during the playoffs, including 4-1 against Tampa Bay.
The Panthers were 0-for-25 on the power play in their first eight playoff games before finally scoring on the man-advantage in Game 3 against the Lightning. Florida was 1-for-13 on the power play in the series, including 0-for-3 in Game 4, and 1-for-31 in the playoffs.
The power-play drought overshadowed the Panthers' problems on the penalty kill. With the Lightning going 4-for-15 on the power play in the series, Florida allowed 11 goals in 39 times shorthanded in the postseason (71.8 percent).

4. Playing from behind

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on Duclair's goal 14:01 into Game 1 and held it until Lightning forward Corey Perry tied it in the second period. For the rest of the series, Florida either trailed or was tied and never was able to push Tampa Bay into situations where it had to abandon its patient approach and take chances to score goals.
"We couldn't do that the whole series," Barkov said. "We were always behind. We were always trying to tie the game."

5. Vasilevskiy's dominance

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 151 of 154 shots in the series for a 0.75 goals-against average and .981 save percentage. Tampa Bay's defensive structure and shot blocking helped, but Vasilevskiy also made timely saves that prevented Florida from gaining momentum.
Vasilevskiy shut the door completely and ended the Panthers' season with a 49-save shutout in Game 4, his NHL-record sixth series-clinching shutout.