‘It was almost like the game was an inconvenience to play’: Cooper on Lightning’s poor performance vs. Rangers

Jon Cooper did not hold back with his thoughts on the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s performance in their season opener.

After a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night, Jon Cooper had choice words about how the Lightning played when speaking with the media.

“It was almost like the game was an inconvenience to play and that it got in the way of summer and that’s what was disappointing,” Cooper said.

While the Lightning had a solid hold on the state of play in the game with a 47.94% 5v5 score-adjusted shot attempt share and a 55.82% 5v5 score-adjusted expected goal share (according to Natural Stat Trick), the 5-1 score line was not a flattering one, especially when the empty net goal was scored by Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. To add to it, the Lightning had lazy moments in the game, some which led to some of the goals against, like John Carlson for the second goal, and several for Andrei Vasilevskiy.

However, Cooper’s concerns may be weighted by more than just a single game in October. He’s also carrying the disappointment of several forgettable playoff showings, as the Lightning have been bounced in the first round of the playoffs for four seasons in a row. After winning two Stanley Cups and making the Conference Finals in six of eight seasons prior to this playoff series win drought, it’s no surprise Cooper still holds high expectations for his team.

The Lightning begin the season 0-1-0 now, with the loss dropping them to last in the Atlantic Division in the early going. They’ll look to bounce back when they host the Washington Capitals on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST.