Lightning’s Jon Cooper is vocal after the brutal Game 1 loss to the Panthers

The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to avenge their first-round exit last season. However, their redemption tour in the Stanley Cup Playoffs did not get off to a positive start. Tampa Bay lost to their intrastate rival Florida Panthers in Game 1 on Sunday night by a score of 3-2.

After the game, head coach Jon Cooper acknowledged that his team needed to be better. He knew what kind of game the Panthers were going to play. And they certainly didn’t abandon their plan anytime soon. The two-time Stanley Cup-winning bench boss knows his team must weather the coming storm.

“They’re home, it’s Game 1, the crowd is fired up…give them a lot of credit – they went to a game plan and we abandoned ours before it started,” Cooper said, via NHL.com. “Florida is an exceptional team; they’re going to do this. They’ve done it to teams all year and they’re going to do it to us for the rest of the playoffs, so it’s our job to fight through it.

Lightning can’t find their game

The Lightning were on the back foot for much of the opening period. The Panthers are one of the strongest teams in the league and play excellent defense. Jon Cooper and his team had trouble breaking through Florida’s defensive structure early in the game. In fact, they didn’t record a shot until just over four minutes remained in the first period.

However, the Lightning managed to gain some momentum before the end of the first. Forward Brandon Hagel scored off a rebound to tie the game 1-1. Both teams played a very intense and tight second period, with Tampa providing some pressure in the offensive zone. However, the Panthers took control of the game in the third period.

Forward Carter Verhaeghe scored within the first minute of the third. From that point on, the Lightning once again failed to crack Florida’s defense. Matthew Tkachuk scored an empty-net goal to give his team a two-goal lead, but it was erased with 10 seconds left when Steven Stamkos scored a consolation goal.

Keep the pressure up

The Lightning had some chances in the game, especially in the second period. Overall, though, there was a recognition from the team that their performance in Game 1 simply wasn’t enough. “We have a few things we need to do a little bit better,” Lightning center Anthony Cirelli said, via NHL.com. “We’ll watch a video and next time we’ll be better.”

The Lightning hope to avoid a 2-0 defeat in this series. In that case, they need to win Tuesday night to split the series in Sunrise. A win in Game 2 would almost certainly give Tampa a boost as the series shifts to Amalie Arena for Games 3 and 4.

Although the Lightning want to get better, they aren’t too discouraged. If they can take better advantage of the looks they’re getting, this series could work in their favor. Of course, taking advantage of these opportunities is much easier said than done.

“We just need to fine-tune some details on our game and get some more shots and more offense,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said, via NHL.com. “We showed in the second period that if we can get the pucks deep, we can chase them down, withstand the pressure and get some looks.”