Jon Cooper slams the Maple Leafs once again despite losing Game 5

Jon Cooper addressed the media after his team’s 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. And again, the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach refused to give his opponents credit for their comeback win to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

After Game 1 of this first-round battle, Cooper had refused to say anything good about the Leafs’ production in their 5-0 blowout win.

This time, Cooper was not going to credit them either despite Toronto trailing 2-0 after one period, but finding a way to come back and win the game thanks to an impressive goal by Auston Matthews from a brilliant Mitch Marner feed.

This is what Cooper said about giving up the 2-0 lead:

“We are not really making them earn it. We are kind of giving it to them.”

He went on some more:

“Some games we are winning it and some games we are not. Tonight, I thought it was too many mistakes. Once again, they ended up in the back of our net. It’s unfortunate. That game was there for the taking for us. We let it slip through our fingers.”

Jon Cooper 

But Cooper made it clear about the series heading back home to Tampa for Game 6:

“We haven’t let the series slip away.”

The Lightning will look to bounce back in a do-or-die Game 6 at home on Thursday night.

If they cannot avoid elimination, I wonder what Cooper will have to say then…