Jon Cooper said he wasn’t worried about the Tampa Bay Lightning’s tepid start to the 2015-16 season, but it has to be uncomfortable to see all that talent produce so little.
Sunday provided a real ray of hope, as the Lightning didn’t just beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3; they enjoyed some key contributions from guys who’ve been struggling.
Maybe some of it came from shaking up forward lines a bit - sorry, fans of “The Triplets” - but either way, Cooper acknowledged that extra burst.
“You felt our swag coming back during the game,” Cooper said, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith.
(You know that Cooper’s a young coach when he “swag” enters the building.)
The biggest sigh of relief may come for Tyler Johnson, who finally scored his first goal of 2015-16. He was off to a slow start last season, too, so maybe this is just a matter of getting back in the groove?
Check out Johnson’s goal in the video above.
Beyond Johnson’s goal, the Lightning saw points for key players including Ryan Callahan (goal), Steven Stamkos (also a goal) and Nikita Kucherov (his first two assists of the season).
Today’s win began a four-game road trip for the Bolts, but after that November is heavy on home dates. If they can get their confidence back, perhaps they can put an up-and-down October behind them.