Jon Cooper Takes a Shot at Maple Leafs Ahead of Divisional Showdown
Ahead of their heated Atlantic Division matchup, the Maple Leafs were disrespected by Tampa's head coach Jon Cooper in his pre-game comments.
With the Tampa Bay Lightning looking to close the gap on the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division, they head into Scotiabank Arena looking to get their first win of the season against their rivals.
Having lost both games already and being outscored 10-5, Tampa's normally staunch goaltending has let them down and Toronto has made them pay. With the team on an offensive tear, and backup Jonas Johansson winless as well against the Leafs; it should be easy work.
However Lightning coach Jon Cooper doesn't think Toronto's been all that good, and his pre-game comments have thrown some serious shade on the Atlantic's top team.
Jon Cooper Thinks Toronto And Florida Are Not Competition
If Cooper was trying to play some mind games ahead of Monday night's game, he may have chosen the wrong teams to direct his ire at:
While it's not the level of dominance that the Washington Capitals or Winnipeg Jets have attained this season, but there is no denying that both Toronto and Florida have been the two best teams.
The Leafs are winning games through grit, guts, and determination meanwhile Florida has one of the deeper rosters in the division. Meanwhile, Tampa has had two separate four-game losing streaks.
While it definitely could be argued that Tampa is the next best team in the division, equating the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators with the Leafs or Panthers is egregious. Yes, they are good, but aren't at the consistent elite level that warrants this type of discussion.
The closeness of the Atlantic Division makes for exciting hockey no doubt, and it really will come down to the last few weeks of the season unless one team completely pulls away from the pack.
But for Cooper to say that the Maple Leafs and Panthers aren't as good as they are on paper is false; especially when you consider who won the Stanley Cup last season and who beat them to start their journey.
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