Panthers doomed by inconsistent play in failed bid for playoff berth

The Florida Panthers failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season and sixth time in seven seasons.

The Panthers (33-32-12) were eliminated from playoff contention when they lost 6-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Here is a look at what happened in the 2018-19 season for the Panthers and why things could be better next season:

The Skinny

Potential UFAs: Jamie McGinn, LW; Riley Sheahan, LW; Troy Brouwer, LW; Derek MacKenzie, C
Potential RFAs: Jayce Hawryluk, LW; Dryden Hunt, RW; Denis Malgin, RW; Ian McCoshen, D; MacKenzie Weegar, D; Sam Montembeault, G
Potential 2019 NHL Draft picks: 9

What went wrong

Inconsistency: The Panthers entered the season with high expectations but started 2-5-3, followed by a five-game winning streak, only to be 17-20-8 two months later on Jan. 15. Florida was at or near .500 for the duration of the season and a six-game losing streak (0-2-4) was capped by giving up two goals in the final 37 seconds of the third period in a 4-3 loss at the Boston Bruins on March 7. A subsequent four-game winning streak was followed by a 1-5-0 rut from March 17-26 that ended their postseason chances.
Goaltending: Roberto Luongo is third all-time in wins (486) and second in games played (1,040) during a decorated NHL career. But Luongo, who turns 40 on April 4 and is signed through 2021-22, had a difficult season. He left a season-opening 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 6 with a Grade 1 MCL strain in his right knee that sidelined him until Nov. 1. He later missed five games after leaving a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 23 with a lower-body injury and has his highest goals-against average in a full season (3.19) and lowest save percentage (.897) of his NHL career. Backup James Reimer (13-12-5, 3.09 GAA, .900 save percentage) missed one month with an undisclosed injury. Sam Montembeault started his NHL career 4-0-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .900 save percentage before going 0-3-0 with a 4.53 GAA and .856 save percentage in his next five games, leaving plenty of questions at the position entering the offseason.

Defense: The Panthers are 29th in goals allowed (262) and goals allowed per game (3.40), offsetting an offense ninth in goals per game (3.14) and tied for eighth with the Chicago Blackhawks in goals (246). Defenseman Mike Matheson has an NHL high 123 giveaways with Aaron Ekblad tied for third (112) and Keith Yandle tied for eighth (100).

Reasons for optimism

High-end talent: The Panthers have Grade-A players in captain Aleksander Barkov (34 goals) and forward Mike Hoffman (35), who are close to becoming the first Florida teammates to each score 35 goals in the same season. Barkov (35 points; 15 goals, 20 assists) and Jonathan Huberdeau (32 points; 12 goals, 20 assists) are first and second in scoring in the League since Feb. 17. Barkov, who leads the Panthers with 88 points (34 goals, 54 assists), is six points from tying Pavel Bure's single-season franchise record of 94 points in 1999-00. Frank Vatrano has found a home after he was traded to Florida by Boston on Feb. 22, 2018. The forward was a pending RFA before agreeing to a three-year contract Feb. 25 and has NHL career highs in goals (23), assists (15) and points (38).
Core in place: Barkov, Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Ekblad and Matheson are homegrown players all with long-term contracts to give the Panthers a foundation they hope eventually leads to a playoff berth. How much longer it takes remains to be seen, but the window should be open until at least Barkov and Trocheck could become unrestricted free agents after the 2021-22 season.
Up and coming: Several players are being evaluated for next season and the ceiling is high. Center Henrik Borgstrom, Florida's first-round pick (No. 23) in the 2016 NHL Draft, has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 45 games since his recall from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Dec. 15. Behind Borgstrom are forwards Jayce Hawryluk and Dryden Hunt, each of whom are getting long looks. Hunt and defenseman Josh Brown became the third set of Panthers teammates to each score their first NHL goal in the same game, a 6-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on March 10.