Three straight losses have left the Tampa Bay Lightning in a big hole with ten games to go.

They're four points out of the final wildcard slot, and five points out of the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.

Which is why Jon Cooper was frustrated by a key "effort" stat in a disappointing 5-3 loss to Arizona Tuesday in a must-win game against a team with the second worst record in the NHL.

“They had 25 blocked shots- we had six," Cooper said.  "So that just shows you the mentality of what went on tonight.

Those numbers don't seem to match a mentality you'd want from a desperate hockey team, which is exactly what the Lightning need to be with ten games to go.

Over the course of their three-game skid, scoring goals hasn't been the major problem.

They netted three in each of their last two losses to Arizona and Washington.

The big issue has been keeping the puck out of their own net.

“Three straight games of giving up five goals is not going to win you a lot of games," defenseman Victor Hedman said.  "So we’re going to re-focus and focus on winning games 1-0, 2-1.  So yeah- it’s back to the drawing board.”

“All of the sudden, defending hasn’t become important," Cooper said.  "And if you’re not going to defend, you’re not going to win.  And so that’s where the guys have to get that back inside them.”

If the players can make that happen, there's still hope to make the postseason.

The Lightning will play Toronto, who they trail by four points for the second wildcard, one more time.

And they'll play Boston, who they're five behind for third place in the Atlantic Division, twice more, including Thursday night.

“It’s hard, but the season’s still going on," center Vladislav Namestnikov said.  "We still have ten games.  And we’re going to fight ‘til the end.  And we just have to be ready for Boston."

But at this point, there's no room for error.

BUT AT THIS POINT… THERE’S NO ROOM FOR ERROR.

"We’re running out of real estate," Cooper said with a laugh.  "That’s the issue.”

And the windows of every remaining property are quickly closing.