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Looking around the league this season, there’s a lot of that going on.

While New Jersey’s Taylor Hall is on track to appear in his first post-season and Nathan MacKinnon, who is second in league scoring, is leading the Colorado Avalanche to an unlikely wild-card berth, there’s plenty of star talent spinning their wheels on teams that are failing them.

Connor McDavid, last season’s Art Ross Trophy winner who is in the top 10 in scoring, and Montreal’s Carey Price, who is arguably the best goalie in the world, are on pace to miss their second playoff appearance in three years. Erik Karlsson, who came within a goal of reaching the Cup final, likely will not play a post-season game for the third time in five years.

And then there is Barkov.

Like MacKinnon, who was selected one spot above him in the 2013 draft, Barkov has played in just one playoff round in four years. Based on where the Panthers currently sit in the crowded Eastern Conference standings — 13th place, seven points back of the Penguins for the final wild-card spot — don’t expect that to change.

“In my career, I’m still young but you want to get into the playoffs and play there because that’s the most fun you can have and compete for something in this league,” Barkov said.

His only playoff experience was in 2016, when the team won its division but then was upset in six games by the New York Islanders. Still, he called it “the best time in my hockey life.” The arena was packed, the games were tense and the fans — the same ones that hadn’t been showing up in the regular season — showered the ice in plastic rats in celebration, renewing their signature celebration from the 1996 playoffs when the Panthers went to the Cup final.