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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: LIGHTNING v PENGUINS

May 17, 2016

Jon Cooper

Tampa, Florida: Practice Day

Q. (No microphone) about the way your team played?
COACH COOPER: We've got to play better to win this series, there's no doubt. I don't think -- we haven't put our best foot forward. I think -- you know, now that we've played them two times, we know a little bit more what to expect, but I know we've got more in the tank than what we've showed.

Q. An update on Callahan at all? Did that flu hit the other part of the room as well?
COACH COOPER: I hope not.

Q. Is puck possession your biggest concern? They seem to have it a lot?
COACH COOPER: It's a concern, there's no question. I think we've put ourselves in positions to have the puck more, but we're not being very smart about how we're playing. We're not playing as a group of five on the ice. We're kind of -- we're in all like different segments, playing in different zones, changing when we shouldn't, and when you're not in unison, you're not going to have the puck a whole lot of time. So definitely something we have to improve on.

Q. How much of that is them and how much of that is --
COACH COOPER: A little of both. By no means am I sitting here saying, oh, gosh, we're a way better team. Not at all. They have a lot to do with it as well. You don't get to the conference final by fluke, I don't believe. They've got a really good team, and there's a reason they, I guess, have the best record since February, whatever it is, and they're playing well.
But we can sit here and look -- we're not in this little media scrum here 0-2. It's 1-1. That's something we're definitely going to hang on to here and see if we can go up tomorrow night. 2-1 tomorrow night.

Q. From your perspective, why has Jonathan Drouin been able to play with such confidence since going back in?
COACH COOPER: Well, he's a really talented player. There's a reason he was drafted where he was and came with all the press clippings. There's just -- there's that growing stage of -- that step of going from junior to pro. And I think it took him -- actually, it hasn't even taken him that long to learn the process.
The only, I guess, thing about Jo is he just had a camera on him the whole time, whereas most players don't. So I think every step he took was scrutinized. But players of his hockey IQ and his compete and everything he's been doing, not surprised he's where he's at right now.

Q. Seeing Stralman come back last night, just how much of a difference can he make in the series when you have Crosby and those guys playing so well?
COACH COOPER: Yeah, you want Stralman on the ice. I think he's a top pairing defenseman on any team in the league. When he gets his legs going, and I think that was a first game he had going, but as everyone else, he's got better in him too. It's just tough that his first game has got to be against one of the fastest games in the league. I thought he did a great job. He's a great defenseman. If we're going to move forward, we need him and we're glad to have him back.

Q. Is this schedule (indiscernible) able to get back when you don't have the extra off days with travel now? You play tomorrow (indiscernible)?
COACH COOPER: I think, when you're playing every other day, it's tough for anybody to come back. That's where those three-day breaks are big in that regard. That's helped us out in a few of these series, just trying to help get guys back.
But ultimately, whether it's one day, two days, three days, if he's ready to go, he's ready to go. I don't think an extra day is going to help out. But he's making progress every day. So hopefully, we'll see him soon.

Q. Are you optimistic he could play in this series?
COACH COOPER: Oh, in the series? Yes, I am optimistic.

Q. On the other side of that coin, being able to just get off the plane today, go back and play tomorrow, you have these big gaps between games --
COACH COOPER: I thought you said getting off the plane and coming right to this spot. I'm so glad there's a bathroom on the way here.

Q. But, no, to just be able to get back on the ice tomorrow and just get back out there after what happened last night, is that a good thing for you guys?
COACH COOPER: Well, I like the fact that we don't have a couple of days to sit here and digest what happened last night. It's a loss. We lost the game. I don't think anybody's going to sit here and say, well, Tampa won Game 1. We were just going to sweep our way through the series. That wasn't going to happen.
We expect this is going to be a long, tough series. I don't think we're really happy with the way we played, although that game went to overtime. We could have handled ourselves in some situations a little bit better. But to get back on right away is probably a bonus for us.

Q. How did you like how Vasilevskiy responded after giving up those first two goals?
COACH COOPER: I feel bad for Vasilevskiy. That kid just plays lights out for us every time, and we just haven't played very well in front of him. We seem to hang him out to dry at times during games. Like we played okay. We limited a lot of chances in the second period, but the first and the third were just way too many chances against. Clearly, he was the reason the game was so close.

Q. Jon, usually we're asking what (inaudible)?
COACH COOPER: It's maybe -- I think you have a tendency, you can play a little bit tentative when you're on a team that's constantly on attack, but we put ourselves in that position, and the way we structurally play and the way we do things was not indicative of, I don't believe, how we were last night.
I watched the game again on the plane ride down back here, and just a lot of the things that have been sort of our trademarks, we didn't even do in the game.
I tip our hat to our guys. They played their hearts out. I sit here today, and we're 9-3 in the playoffs. That's as good a run as we've had in the regular season. So it's pretty tough to be hard on our guys. But in saying that, we have to have a better response tomorrow.

Q. Are you concerned at all or (inaudible)?
COACH COOPER: Oh, I don't know. You hope (indiscernible).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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