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HC Jon Cooper speaks his mind on Bolts' 5-2 loss to Maple Leafs
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper discussed his team's 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. Following the Lightning's second straight loss, Cooper acknowledged that mistakes, especially in the second period, hurt the team.
He pointed to Max Pacioretty's goal as an example of what went wrong. Cooper recognized that such things happen during a long season but was frustrated that it occurred just five games into their schedule.
"Every time we made an error, they took advantage of it," Jon Cooper said.
"It was just one of those nights. I look at Pacioretty’s goal, and I think that’s kind of how the night went for us. It happens when you play 82. It's just too bad that it happened in game 5."
The Maple Leafs capitalized on Tampa Bay's mistakes, with William Nylander leading the way. Nylander scored twice and added an assist, while Auston Matthews also extended his goal streak to three games. Matthews' power-play goal in the second period secured Toronto's lead.
The Lightning had trouble keeping up, even though Nicholas Paul tied the game late in the first period. Defensive errors and turnovers left goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy exposed, and he was pulled after giving up four goals on 14 shots, with Jonas Johansson replacing him.
Jon Cooper didn’t point fingers at any players but stressed the need for better execution. The Lightning couldn’t score during a two-minute 5-on-3 power play in the second period despite taking seven shots. Toronto’s goalie Anthony Stolarz made 32 saves, including a crucial one during the penalty kill.
Brayden Point scored late in the third period from a pass by Nikita Kucherov, but it was too late to impact the game. The Maple Leafs improved to 4-2-0, while the Lightning were left looking for solutions after a promising start to the season.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper's assessment of loss to Senators
The Ottawa Senators beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4, giving Tampa their first loss of the season.
Drake Batherson scored two goals and had an assist, while Brady Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal late in the second period. Ottawa’s power play was effective, going 2-for-5, but Tampa Bay struggled, going 0-for-3 and allowing a short-handed goal.
Nikita Kucherov extended his goal streak to four games for the Lightning, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves. Lightning coach Jon Cooper said that the loss was due to special teams.
“Well, that’s tough. That’s pretty much the difference in the game,” Cooper said (via NHL.com).
“It’s unfortunate that we throw a puck out of play. We didn’t mean to. It’s probably a tough part of the rule. But it’s the rule, so we’re kind of chasing it the whole game.”
The Lightning lineup struggled in preseason, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators (shutout) and the Florida Panthers. However, they regrouped for the season, beating the Hurricanes 4-1 and followed up with another strong 4-1 win over the Canucks. In a tough battle against the Golden Knights, they won 4-3.
However, consecutive losses to the Senators and Leafs have raised concerns for the Lightning camp.
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