TAMPA — Instead of preparing for a second round, Tampa Bay Lightning players packed up Tuesday at Amalie Arena — the finality of their first-round playoff exit setting in. 

“Took me two days to realize that,” goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy said. “Obviously the result (is) not the best, but at the same time, good lesson.” 

A first-round playoff exit is tough to swallow.

“Last three years, we’ve been playing all the way in (to the Stanley Cup) and having (to go) out in the first round, it’s never a fun experience,” said defenseman Victor Hedman. 

The Lightning are coming off a three-year run that included back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and three straight finals. 

“In one game you wake up the next day and that’s it, the family’s gone and now you don’t have a job per se to come back to,” head coach Jon Cooper said.

“You don’t have your routine. So that’s different, and what makes it different this year, is there are other teams that getting back to their routines. And in the past three years, we played the last game.” 

The silver lining? Rest and rehab, something this team hasn’t had a chance to do after three deep postseason runs. 

“I think it’s a good time to take care of your body and get some rest, heal some injuries that guys have and mentally get some rest too,” Nikita Kucherov said. 

Vasilevskiy is focused on physical and mental rest, something he admittedly did not prioritize. He has been the backbone of the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup Final the past three seasons.

“My mistake was that I didn’t pay attention to recovery, so I kept pushing myself to the limit,” Vasilevskiy said. “Working out, obviously worked hard in practice, after game 35, my body kind of let me down. To be honest, I didn’t feel that great after that.” 

The front office also has some work to do to fill out their roster. 

Forward Alex Killorn tops the list of the Lightning’s unrestricted free agents.  He’s coming off a career-high 27 goal season. 

“I love playing here, I love everything about Tampa,” he said. “I don’t want to leave, it’s just, you have to look at all angles to make sure you make the right decision,” Killorn said. 

After incredible success, some are wondering: is the Lightning’s window closing? 

Despite losing the series, the Lightning played some of their best hockey in the end. 

“We probably played better this year than we did last year to be honest with you against Toronto,” Pat Maroon said. “When you go farther and farther in the playoffs you need puck luck, and you need things to go your way. I feel like we had it, but Toronto had it too.” 

The core of the championship team is expected to remain the same, allowing them to remain a Stanley Cup contender.