Jon Cooper admits to something that he couldn't admit during the series against the Leafs
The temperature in Leafs Nation is surprisingly mild after a 2-1 loss in Game 7 to the back-to-back Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Sure, there's some talk about the officiating and about some potential changes that will probably occur, but the fanbase has not imploded the same way as it did in 2021 when they lost 3 straight to the Montreal Canadiens to wash out in round one.
Part of the reason why Leafs fans have been able to digest this round one loss a bit easier is probably a combination between the scar tissue that has built up over time and the fact that they took the Champs to 7 games and were never out of the series. In fact, they led the series after Games 1, 3 and 5. This series wasn't as much of a choke job as it was a hotly-contested series where no team really had a distinctive edge in the series or strung together wins until Games 6 and 7.
The series was a razor-close one, with the Leafs having scored 24 goals to Tampa's 23 and having put 216 shots on Andrei Vasilevskiy, while the Bolts fired 215 shots at Jack Campbell. As Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said, "that was as evenly matched a series as you're going to see".
We heard from Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and one of the league's top defenseman in Victor Hedman, who both emphasized just how good this Leafs team truly is and how this series could have gone either way. Hearing Cooper also admit that the Leafs were on the same level as the Lightning probably helps to soften the blow a bit and puts the fanbase at ease, knowing that true Cup contention is closer than ever.
