Jon Cooper ‘Proud’ Of How Tampa Bay Lightning Fought Through 82 Games

Cooper said Friday that he will have an update on Hedman, who left during the first period of Tampa Bay’s game at Vancouver on March 19, and forward Pontus Holmberg (upper body, missed the last five games) “in the next couple of days.”

Tampa Bay Lightning ready for ‘best time of year’

Because of many of the injuries, the Lightning played 10 defensemen this season. One of them was first-year NHLer Charle-Edouard D’Astous, who turns 27 on Tuesday. A seasoned pro who arrived from Europe, the Quebec native will ironically make his playoff debut against the club from his home province.

D’Astous, the team leader in penalty minutes (112) who chipped in offensively with 29 points, was among those who helped immensely in plugging major voids on the blue line. Darren Raddysh, Tampa Bay’s Masterton nominee, authored a career season (22 goals, 70 points) and J.J. Moser became a fan favorite (seven goals, plus-41).

The page has turned and similar production will likely be in need again as the stakes rise. That, of course, goes for every player who pulls on a Lightning jersey.

“Now, it’s the second season, and this takes a whole new wave of commitment and determination and everything that goes in it,” said the 58-year-old coach, who lost his father, Robert, in February and missed two games after guiding Team Canada to the silver medal in the Olympics. “Looking forward to it, though. This is a fun time of year.”

It is Corey Perry’s time of year. It is coming up on 19 years since he won his only Stanley Cup. That was with Anaheim in 2007. He has since been on the short end in four Cup finals, including two against the Lightning and one with them. His 237 playoff games are fourth all-time, and 10 behind Patrick Roy for third.

“It’s spring and it’s the best time of year,” said Perry, who turns 41 in mid-May and will certainly do all he can to help a club that incredibly has won only once in its last 10 home postseason matches. “There’s a reason I’m playing this game. That’s to win.”

MONTREAL: Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Corey Perry during warm-up before the Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Montreal Canadiens game on April 9, 2026, at Bell Centre in Montreal. (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Three straight first-round exits notwithstanding, the Bolts have played the game a lot this time of year. In fact, four of Perry’s teammates have played at least 100 playoff games in a Lightning jersey: Hedman (franchise-leading 170), Nikita Kucherov (152), Andrei Vasilevskiy (120) and Anthony Cirelli (108). All four have Cup rings from 2020 and 2021. The same with Ryan McDonagh, from his first stint in Tampa, Brayden Point and Erik Cernak.

“All of a sudden you flip the switch and there’s a different feel,” said Perry. “It’s the playoffs. You know what it is. There are lot of guys in this room who have been on long runs and won championships. They know what it takes.”

The Lightning hope the switch remains in the “on” position for a good stretch of time. First things first, though.

“Have a good start," said Raddysh. “I am sure (the Canadiens) are going to be coming. Make sure we are ready for Game 1 and take it from there.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com