Jon Cooper isn't expecting another blowout victory for his Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.
"You've got to take advantage of a tired team," the head coach told the assembled media, including Fox Sports Florida, after the Lightning rolled to an 8-2 win over the New York Islanders in Game 1 on Monday. "Let's be honest. This is a one-off."
New York eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of its second-round series on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lightning finished off the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their matchup on Aug. 31.
Lightning stars Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov both racked up five points in Tampa Bay's Game 1 win. Point scored twice, including a dazzling first-period marker, but he downplayed his squad's dominance postgame.
"Let's be honest, we got a lot of bounces tonight," Point said, according to Bryan Burns of the team's website. "Things went well for us. We can't hang our hat on that."
Point may be on to something. Despite the six-goal margin, the possession and scoring-chance figures show the game was more evenly contested than it appeared.
| Category | Islanders | Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Expected Goals For % | 48.29 | 51.71 |
|
Scoring Chances For % |
53.57 | 46.43 |
|
Corsi For % |
46.15 | 53.85 |
(Courtesy: Natural Stat Trick, all stats at 5-on-5)
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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