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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: LIGHTNING v PENGUINS

May 13, 2016

Jon Cooper

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Game One

Tampa Bay - 3
Pittsburgh - 1

Q. Coach, can you give us an update on the severity of Ben Bishop's injury, and what was your thought when he went down? Were you thinking like, oh, wow, what else can go wrong?
COACH COOPER: Injuries are part of the game, and you never want it to happen to anybody on either team. You don't want to see things like that, but he went in, and we got him checked out. He had X-rays done, and everything came back negative. So we're hoping for the best.

Q. With Vasilevskiy getting put in, what did you think of the defensive job you guys did to --
COACH COOPER: You know what's big about that? I don't know if we -- did we give up a shot after he came in? I think we went through a stretch where we outshot them 11-2 after Vasie came in. And I think that's got to be big, not just for him, but he's got to jump into the lion's den there, and he didn't have to face anything. So he got to get a feel for the game and what was going on and not have to be bombarded with shots. So I think our guys did a really good job of giving him time to get into the game.

Q. Coach, how big was the kill on the five-minute major, and do you think that set the tone for the rest of the game?
COACH COOPER: Well, it helped for sure. We had a great start. Opening shift of the game, we hit a post. We think we've scored. I thought things were going great for us, and then unfortunately, you know, we have a five-minute major. They've got some pretty good hockey players over there, so you never want to see them with a man advantage for five minutes.
But I thought our guys, they dug their heels in. I didn't think we gave them a whole lot. When we did, Ben was there. But it really -- when you kill that off, you know, you're expending a lot of energy, but you could just see we got a little bit taller on our bench when we got through that.
But it's been tough for us in these playoffs. I think we're leading the league in penalties, and that's something we have to correct because we just can't keep giving teams ten minutes a night for a power play.

Q. Jon, I asked Vasilevskiy if he felt he was ready for this, if he was the guy to move forward, and he smiled and said that's why I'm here. Can you tell us what kind of kid he is? And if he is the guy moving forward, just how confident are you in him?
COACH COOPER: I think -- I know it was a year ago, but for someone as young as he is, he's already played in the Stanley Cup Final, and he was called on in the biggest moments last year. Talk about pushing somebody a little bit down the learning curve a little faster than we wanted to.
But there's cliches thrown around all the time, guys who are first in the rink and last to leave and all those types of things, but with that kid, it's actually true. If there's one thing that Vasilevskiy will never be knocked for, it's for preparation and work ethic. That's in his DNA. And I don't think there was one -- you never want to lose Bishop, but nobody on the bench was sitting there thinking, oh, we're nervous Vasilevskiy's going in. We've kind of run with this tandem all year, and he's a rock, and he was that for us tonight, especially in the third.

Q. I know they weren't worried about Vasilevskiy, what he can do, but seeing your goalie go out on a stretcher like that could be kind of rattling or deflating thing for a team. You talked about the calmness this group has had in the postseason? Is that another example of that? What was the mood on the bench, I guess?
COACH COOPER: In those situations, because it was a long delay, but you're concerned for your guy. And, gosh, I think I haven't seen that since Stanton went down a couple years ago. Just brings bad memories like that of situations that have happened before.
So when we got some test results back and found out that it wasn't as, I guess -- he's definitely hurt, but there's nothing structurally wrong right now -- that was a big relief. But I think, as you said, the guys are a pretty focused group, and everybody was concerned for Ben's health, but there wasn't concern about, oh, my gosh, now the game's over. That was the fartherest thing from the truth that was on our bench.

Q. Tyler Johnson, any status on him? He obvious back, but did he have to go through any tests with his injury? And did you see the hit, and have an opinion on it?
COACH COOPER: See, that's what's called a trap question, and I'm not going to fall for it. Obviously, the refs thought there was nothing wrong with it. There's hitting in this game. When there's -- he kind of was in a little bit of a vulnerable spot. The player went after him hard, really hard, and kind of caught him in a tough spot.
But, again, you don't want to see guys go down, but it was close to the period, and he got to get a little rest in there, and you know, he felt he was good enough to go. But he went through a battery of tests as well. But that was a big lift on the bench when he came back, just for what he's done for us, what he brings to our team, and how important he is. It just goes and shows some pretty tough characters in that locker room.

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