Cooper: Hedman's absence not an excuse for Game 2 performance

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper dismissed the notion that the absence of defenceman Victor Hedman was to blame for his team's blowout loss in Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hedman, who was injured in Game 1, was labelled a game-time decision for Thursday's contest but did not dress in the 7-2 loss as the Maple Leafs evened the series at 1-1.

"This had nothing to do with Victor Hedman being out of the game," Cooper said post-game. "We've won games in this league without Victor Hedman. I could sit here and go through 100 years of clichés, which one do you want? In the end, did we play hard enough to win? Probably not.

"It's not because one guy was out, that would be just a poor, poor excuse."

In addition to Hedman, the Lightning were also missing blueliner Erik Cernak Thursday, who was injured by an illegal check to the head by Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting in Game 1. Bunting served the first of his three-game suspension for the hit in Game 2.

Hedman, the 2018 Norris Trophy winner and recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2020, averaged 23:43 of ice time during the regular season, while Cernak averaged 19:14. 

Vasilevskiy declines to be pulled

After taking a 3-0 lead in to the first intermission, the Maple Leafs pulled ahead to 6-1 in the second period. Cooper said he considered pulling starter Andrei Vasilevskiy as the goals piled up, but the goaltender rejected the idea.

“That was quickly shut down by the goalie,” Cooper said. “That’s why he’s the best in the world. He’s not coming out.

“Once again, tip your cap to that kid.”

Vasilevskiy, who won the Vezina Trophy in 2019 and was the Conn Smythe recipient in the 2021 playoffs, finished with 30 saves on 37 shots. Thursday's loss marked just the second he's allowed seven goals in a playoff game, having also done so in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche last year.

"I think we and pretty much everyone thinks he's the best goalie in the league," defenceman Ian Cole added. "He wants to stay in that net, it's his net, he doesn't want to come out. You've got to love a guy like that who doesn't want to come out and is going to battle to the very end. We have to be way better in front of him."