For the fourth time in his career, Jon Cooper is off the Eastern Conference Final with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Prince George coach credits his team’s resilience after the Bolts played their fourth 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff game that needed more than 60 minutes to decide the winner, and, for the second straight series, they eliminated their opponents in extras with a 3-2 double-overtime Game Five victory over Boston.
"We needed every ounce of our energy," said Cooper after officially eliminating the Bruins 4-1 in the best-of-seven second-round series Monday night (Aug. 31).
"Tongues were dragging ... it was tough. [...] "How they managed to play that second overtime, I don't know. It was a pretty committed effort by the guys. Fortunately for us one went in."
And just like that, Victor Hedman sends the @TBLightning to the Eastern Conference Final! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/olZGBRrIWm
— NHL (@NHL) September 1, 2020
Tampa Bay only allowed one shot against before Victor Hedman found the back of the net for the series-clincher with under six minutes left in the second overtime frame.
Cooper was ecstatic and noticeably relieved on the bench after the goal was scored as his team has endured almost nine extra periods of sudden-death hockey.
"We're getting used to it," the 53-year-old remarked as he advances to a fourth East Final appearance (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020).
"If you want to advance, you have to win these games. It's all there is to it. It was gutsy.”
Amazing side-by-side look at the Victor Hedman overtime series winner and the Lightning bench reaction. Clearly meant a lot to Jon Cooper, but still more work to do.#lightning #hedman #cooper #serieswinner pic.twitter.com/mXaAHsEga8
— hockey_GIF (@gif_hockey) September 1, 2020
Cooper’s continuous efforts and motivation towards his players is likely being lit under fire by their first-round exit in 2019, when they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets after claiming the President’s Cup trophy as regular-season champions.
“We had to grow as a team and we didn’t necessarily need to tweak how we played the game,” he said after taking out the Jackets in the first round of this year’s NHL playoffs.
“I don’t know if it was much on structure as it was between the ears, and all of us collectively, from the coaching staff all the way down, we had to be harder, we had to be better and we had to train ourselves in a little bit of a different way.”
Anthony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat scored in regulation for the Lightning, while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 45 shots inside an empty Scotiabank Arena.
On the winner, Hedman faked and then changed the angle with a toe drag before firing a shot that leaked through Jaroslav Halak for the defenceman's fifth goal of the post-season.
"A great feeling. We battled really hard," said Hedman, who added an assist. "Losing Kuch early on in the game is obviously a big blow for our team, but gotta give a lot of credit to our forwards.
"Super proud of the effort they put forth, and [Vasilevskiy] was huge."
Former Prince George Cougar defenceman and Bruins’ captain Zdeno Chara is now out of the running for a Stanley Cup, ending his 22nd NHL season.
It’s unclear at this point if the 43-year-old plans to retire.
Tampa Bay awaits the winner of the other Eastern Conference Semi-Final match.
The New York Islanders could eliminate the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers tonight (Sept. 1) as they hold a 3-1 series lead.
Puck-drop goes for 4 p.m. Pacific time.
- with files from The Canadian Press
🎥 Coop on last night's series-clinching win, the play of Andrei Vasilevskiy & Ryan McDonagh, and winning close games. #TBLvsBOS pic.twitter.com/wHU7dgQRXX
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 1, 2020
