Jon Cooper addressed the media after his team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.
On the performance of Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh in their first-ever playoff series:
They are playing outstanding for us. I can’t say enough. Perby has had the benefit of playing in the league most of the year. Raddy hasn’t.
They have had some big assignments and have done phenomenally for us.
On the near goal for Brayden Point that was negated by an early whistle:
I have zero idea why he blew the whistle. It was shocking. The entire building — 20,000 people — saw it was sitting right there.
What I don’t get: I don’t get what the ref had to gain by blowing the whistle. Listen, that is not why we lost. But I just don’t get it.
If you go through the league of quick whistles, that has to be the number one in the league. I just don’t know what he was gaining by blowing it so fast.
With the way the puck was delivered to the net, it was bouncing all over the place. It was obviously unfortunate for us, but again, not why we lost. It would’ve helped, but it is not why we lost.
On the importance of Victor Hedman’s return:
Norris Trophy winner… Come on. Those are questions you can answer yourself. He is an amazing player for us.
On Brayden Point’s injury against the boards and if he was given an explanation on the lack of a penalty call:
At that point, they were not giving one. I am not going to sit here and change his mind. It was a no-call. We have to live with it.
On whether he held his breath when Point went into the boards:
Hold my breath a ton, a little, extremely hold it, hold it for a minute and a half… I don’t know what you want me to say there. It was a tough situation to watch. I think we all saw that.
On how pleased he was with his team’s play despite the loss:
I really liked our game. Honestly, it is two really good hockey teams out there. We had ample chances to score some goals and the puck didn’t go in for us as many times as we needed it to.
I leave that game knowing it was unfortunate we lost the game, but I loved our guts.
In the three-game series, the adversity that has hit the team in three games, and we have gotten one of them, and we have taken another one to overtime… It is a gutty group. I would never bet against the gutty group that is in there. It is impressive to watch them. It was impressive to watch them in the locker room afterward and the confidence they exude.
On limiting the Leafs to 19 shots before Toronto pulled their goalie:
I liked a lot of stuff that went on in this game. Really, the only thing I didn’t like was the result. When you are in the playoffs, that is kind of what you are based on — your result.
Give Toronto credit. They stuck with it. They get one at the end. One goes in for them in overtime, but I like a lot of what we brought.
Was it a bounce-back game from Game 2? No question. As I have said before, it sucks losing these games, but we are still in this series. If you throw out Game 2 for us, I am pretty happy with the way things have gone — just not the result.
On Stamkos and Kucherov responding to the hit on Point:
It is why they have been to the final three years in a row. They do more than just put the puck in the net. It was unbelievable.
