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The Lightning were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs following a loss to the Panthers in a game where Tampa Bay had multiple goals taken off of the board, and head coach Jon Cooper generated some backlash for the route he opted to take while complaining about those calls after the contest.
The Tampa Bay Lightning had the chance to extend their first-round series with the Florida Panthers on Monday night after falling into a 3-1 hole, but they ultimately saw their season come to an end after the home team walked away with a decisive 6-1 victory with the help of the four goals they scored in the third period to put the game away.
I think most people who watched the series would agree the Lightning were thoroughly outplayed by an opponent that deserved to advance when everything was said and done.
With that said, I can understand why Tampa Bay supporters were frustrated by the two goalie interference calls that went against their squad—the first of which would’ve given the team a 1-0 lead in the first period and the second of which would’ve knotted the game at two goals apiece in the ensuing frame.
At this point, NHL fans know it’s pretty foolish to attempt to definitively define what actually constitutes goaltender interference, although it did seem like the officials made the correct call in each instance.
However, Jon Cooper made it pretty clear he didn’t think that was the case during the postgame press conference where he asserted “We might as well put skirts on them” while voicing his displeasure with the threshold for making contact with a netminder.
"We might has well put skirts on them then… I think we're letting the goalies off the hook."
Lightning coach Jon Cooper weighs in with his perspective on the two disallowed goals tonight and the impact those decisions had on the game. pic.twitter.com/FD1hewDsbC
— Bally Sports Sun: Lightning (@BallyLightning) April 30, 2024
Cooper may have made a valid point, but the manner in which he attempted to highlight it didn’t sit well with a number of fans, like the ones who accused him of deploying “misogynistic language” and embracing what they described as “bulls— sexism” by going the “skirts” route.
Those are just some of the many comments expressing similar sentiments that appeared online in the wake of Cooper’s rant, and it’ll be interesting to see if he opts to address the backlash after he gets the chance to reflect on a comment he delivered in the heat of the moment.