Aleksander Barkov said he and the Florida Panthers should have done better.

For the fifth time in his six NHL seasons, the Panthers captain will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's an empty feeling for Barkov, who gladly would exchange his personal success for that of his team.

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"With this team, I think we should have made the playoffs," Barkov said this week. "It's disappointing if you don't.

"We have a bright future and we're still young. But time goes by really fast. We have to start right out from the beginning of the season and win games."

The Panthers (33-32-12) were eliminated from playoff contention with their 6-1 loss against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Tuesday. The Panthers have reached the postseason twice in the past 18 seasons (2011-12, 2015-16).

"Of course it's frustrating when you don't make the playoffs," he said. "The biggest goal before the season and during the season is to win games and make the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. When you don't make them, you're frustrated."

Barkov's only taste of postseason hockey came in 2015-16 when the Panthers were eliminated in six games by the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference First Round. He had three points in the series (one goals, two assists) and hoped the experience would be something to build on the next time he played a playoff game.

He's still waiting for that chance.

But what went wrong this season for the Panthers, who went 44-30-8 in 2017-18 and missed the playoffs by one point?

The answer could be summed up by the Panthers' past three games, all losses. Florida allowed a total of 20 goals, continuing a trend that has plagued them all season.

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Florida has given up 262 goals, third-most in the NHL. Only the Ottawa Senators (277) and Chicago Blackhawks (271) had allowed more.

The Panthers have had their share of injuries, including to forwards Vincent Trocheck (ankle, missed 27 games), Derek MacKenzie (shoulder, missed 76 games), Jamie McGinn (back, missed 59 games), and goalies Roberto Luongo (knee, missed nine games) and James Reimer (lower body, missed five games), but Barkov said the issue cuts much deeper than that.

"We've had a lot of guys hurt," he said. "At the same time, the guys who played, well, we didn't play that well. (Specifically) we didn't play that well in the defensive zone. We can score but our issues are in the defensive zone. We have to learn how to be better at that."

Scoring wasn't a concern for the Panthers. Five players scored at least 20 goals -- forwards Barkov (34), Mike Hoffman (35), Jonathan Huberdeau (25), Evgenii Dadonov (25) and Frank Vatrano (23); five have at least 50 points -- Barkov (88), Huberdeau (84), Hoffman (69), Dadonov (63) and defenseman Keith Yandle (58).

It's on defense where the Panthers struggled. Seven Panthers have a double-digit minus rating: defenseman Mike Matheson (minus-27), Hoffman (minus-25), Yandle (minus-19), Huberdeau (minus-18), forward Henrik Borgstrom (minus-14), Dadonov (minus-12) and Barkov (minus-11).

Coach Bob Boughner said Barkov is the last person who should receive blame for the Panthers' shortcomings. From the moment Barkov was named captain prior to the season, he's been Florida's best player according to Boughner.

"He's been amazing," Boughner said. "At the beginning of the season, putting the 'C' on him was a big change for him. But he's matured into the role. He's learned. And he'd be the first to tell you he's still learning.

"He's still a young guy but he's definitely led by example. When [Trocheck] was out, we struggled, and he carried us. Three months of that. Once [Trocheck] came back at the break and got healthy, you could see Bark's game take off the other way. I think he's turned the corner where he's always been a good offensive player but now you see he's an elite offensive player now."

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Barkov has set career highs in goals, assists (54) and points this season. In the process, the admiration for his game and leadership skills have grown, both in the locker room and around the NHL.

"It's no shock to anyone in here what he's been able to do," Yandle said. "I think he's just starting to break out in terms of media coverage. But in terms of what we see from him every day, in terms of practice or in games, it's insane.

"He has the respect of his peers. Any time we play a team people are asking about him. Everybody in the League knows how good he is, whether he's a household name or not. I know he has respect around the League and that's the ultimate goal."

Not for Barkov. In his mind, the ultimate goal is simple: Make the playoffs and have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup.

"That's what you play for," he said.