If you were expecting Evgeni Malkin’s comments about bringing the series back to Pittsburgh for a Game 7 to bother the Tampa Bay Lightning, you’re out of luck.
Or, if that guarantee did provide bulletin board material, the Bolts aren’t admitting it.
Jon Cooper’s response was logical enough.
Cooper on Malkin guarantee: "Let's be honest. What's he supposed to say? 'We're done. We're just going down there for a formality.'"?
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) May 23, 2016
Good stuff as usual from the Lightning’s often-articulate and outspoken head coach.
“Yeah, I mean, the series isn’t over,” Jason Garrison said. “That’s the mindset that everyone has to have.”
Not exactly smoking hot takes coming from Tampa Bay, but they’d probably be silly to provide anything but boilerplate quotes.
The real responses will come on the ice.