Jon Cooper plays mind games with the Maple Leafs after Game 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs pretty much faced the worst-case scenario in Game 1 of their first-round series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning…

Both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll faltered, allowing seven goals on 34 shots, with Samsonov getting replaced for the third frame.

The Lightning were simply the better team on Tuesday, but head coach Jon Cooper isn’t taking that for granted.
In his Game 1 postgame presser, the Bolts’ bench boss talked about the Maple Leafs and how they could win the series in comments that could only be Cooper playing mind games with Toronto ahead of Game 2 on Thursday night.

“The Leafs might win the series. They might. There’s so much runway left in this, but what I’ve learned over the years is I sure as hell wouldn’t bet against our guys.”

While Cooper has a way of getting under the skin of the Maple Leafs and their fanbase during the first-round series, he has a point. There’s a reason why playoff series are best-of-seven.

And Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe also had an answer when it comes to where the series might go - almost as a response to Cooper’s comments:

“That’s the nature of a playoff series,” the head coach said. “It’s on us to respond.”

And that response starts on Thursday in Toronto for Game 2 of this series.

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• Ilya Samsonov yanked after allowing six goals in Game 1
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