Tampa Bay Lightning Coach Jon Cooper Goes Bananas After Game 3 Win (Video)
A normally calm and collected Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper went absolutely bananas after the Lightning’s OT winner in Game 3 in Brooklyn.
Anyone who has been following the Tampa Bay Lightning since Head Coach Jon Cooper made the jump from the Syracuse Crunch to the Lightning’s main bench boss knows that he is normally one of the coolest and composed people you will ever come across. Even in the face of victory, Coach Cooper has an innate skill of keeping a straight face as he makes his way from the bench and down the tunnel.
Well, on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Tampa Bay Lightning fans had a rare opportunity to see a completely different side of Coach Cooper. After the kind of game Lightning fans had just been exposed to, the reaction from Jon Cooper was one of the most refreshing things we witnessed all night long.
If you were one of the millions of people who tuned into the game last night, whether it was from the Barclays Center, the Watch Party at Thunder Alley at the Amalie Arena, or from the comfort of your own home, you know just how stressful last night was for everyone here in the Bolts Nation.
A number of defensive miscues and ill-timed penalties opened the door for the New York Islanders to capitalize and control the pace of the game for most of the first two periods of play. However, when these two teams hit the ice for the third period of play, the Tampa Bay Lightning was really able to plant their skates in deep and get the job done when it mattered the most.
The most heart-pounding moment of the game would come with just 39 seconds left in the game when Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, who has undoubtedly proven himself to be the clutch player on the team, was able to sink the puck past New York Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss and into the back of the net to bring the game to overtime.
Then…it happened. The Tampa Bay Lightning made their way back out on the ice for the first (and thankfully only) overtime period of the night. Momentum was definitely on the Lightning’s side at this point. The only thing left for the Lightning to do would ride the energy into the third period and do what they do best…win games.
It would only take 2:48 for the Tampa Bay Lightning to make their mark when Lightning center Brian Boyle, who had a goal taken away from him by the referees earlier in the game, sunk the puck and gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 on Friday night.
When the camera panned over to Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper, it was pretty plain to see he was excited to see what his team had accomplished in the final moments of Game 3. For once, it was actually a welcome sight to see Coach Cooper lose his mind.
Tuesday night’s contest was far from one of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s best games. In fact, we’re pretty positive if they had an opportunity to do it all over again, there are a few things they would have changed.
However, the most important thing here is the Tampa Bay Lightning got the job done, despite all the adversity they faced over the course of the game. We’re sure this is one of the many reasons Coach Cooper was so pleased following the game.
Next: Lightning/Islanders Get Heated In Pre-Game Warmups (Video)
The Tampa Bay Lightning have one more game ahead of them in enemy territory before they head back home to the Amalie Arena for Game 5. When the Lightning take the ice on Friday night at the Barclays Center, they need to be prepared for a physical game and be ready to use their speed to their advantage. If the defense can find a way to kick it up a notch, there’s a good chance we’ll see another happy celly from Coach Cooper.