“You guys watched the game,” Cooper said. “It was a lot of what not to do.”Īndrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning allow a second-period goal. “It was a bad time to have a bad start,” McDonagh said. Moments later, McDonagh was in the box after taking a roughing penalty, the Avs were on the power play and - boom - it was 1-0. A good start by the Anthony Cirelli line turned into Ryan McDonagh backpedaling in his own end, succumbing to the pressure of forward Valeri Nichushkin, who forced a turnover. The first shift was a harbinger of the mess that followed. Before the game, Cooper said he fully expected a better first 10 minutes than Tampa Bay showed in Game 1 on Wednesday. The Lightning usually have pushback, poise and patience. The most surprising part about Game 2 was the start. “We owe it to him to have a better game next game. This game could have been 10-0 with the kind of chances the Lightning gave up. But he’s the least of Tampa Bay’s problems. Sure, Vasilevskiy gave up a couple he’d likely want to have back. Even if I did (try to pull him), I don’t think he would have come out. He’s the best goalie in the world, and we win together, we lose together. He’s going to be there in a couple nights. “Vasy gives us the best chance to win a hockey game. “This is the playoffs, and we’re here to win hockey games,” Cooper said. 88 is staying in.Ĭooper said he didn’t think of yanking his Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goaltender. That’s built on trust and communication, and “unless it’s a barrage,” No. … So we have to elevate our play.”Ī big storyline after the game Sunday: Why didn’t Cooper pull Vasilevskiy when it was 5-0 after two periods? Cooper has pulled Vasilevskiy only once in 95 playoff starts (in the 2018 Eastern Conference final), saying he believes in letting his goalie fight through a game. ![]() “They’re playing at an elite level right now,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. But after the Avalanche put up a touchdown on Andrei Vasilevskiy - just the second time in 450 career starts he has allowed seven goals - it’s fair to wonder: ![]() The Lightning’s guts, their heart and their determination have rarely been questioned in this historic run of back-to-back championships and a subsequent return to the Stanley Cup Finals. Let’s get back home in front of our fans, and let’s see what we’re made of.” We’ve got to man up as a team and as a person. So whether it’s one-nothing or seven-nothing or 10-nothing, it’s a loss in the playoffs and you’ve got to move on. But our group, we’re a very resilient group. “Listen, people are going to be watching this game tonight and probably think the series is over. “That was totally not acceptable, especially at this time of the year,” Stamkos said. Colorado has outclassed the two-time defending champs in the first two games, looking faster, hungrier, more disciplined and dangerous.īut as Stamkos addressed the media in the bowels of Ball Arena, it felt like he wanted to deliver a message, if not to the hockey world, then definitely to the players in the Tampa Bay room. The Lightning are in trouble after a humbling and embarrassing 7-0 loss to the Avalanche in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night. DENVER - Steven Stamkos knows what many are thinking.
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