Jon Cooper made his thoughts clear after the Tampa Bay Lightning lost 3-2 to Nathan MacKinnon’s Colorado Avalanche in the 2025-26 NHL season. After a strong first period, the Bolts let the foot off the pedal, allowing the Avs to rally from behind and walk away with all two points.
Tampa Bay had won five games in a row entering the matchup with Colorado. However, the streak was drastically halted by the Avalanche. With the 3-2 loss in Denver, Cooper and the Lightning suffered their first loss since October 23. After the game, Cooper dropped a powerful wake-up call.
“It was good for a bit, and then we got in our own way. And when we get in our own way, it’s usually going to be tough for us,” Jon Cooper commented, via NHL.com. “I loved our first period. It was unfortunate that [there were] untimely penalties. We took those tonight, but they were a better team for periods two and three. So, that was a little disappointing.”
Top of the food chain
Though a tough pill to swallow for Cooper and the Bolts, losing to the Avalanche on the road should be far from discouraging. MacKinnon and the Avs sit on top of the NHL standings with 21 points through the opening 14 games of the 2025-26 season.
Head coach Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning
Meanwhile, Tampa registers 14 points, which currently has them fifth in the Atlantic Division. The Eastern Conference is jampacked at the moment, as no team is currently below the .500 mark. It’s still very early, but the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs could very well turn into a bloodbath in the East.
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MacKinnon stays hot
With an assist against the Bolts, the former first overall pick in the 2013 NHL entry Draft extended his point streak. Now, MacKinnon has scored or assisted in seven straight outings. Moreover, the Avalanche’s star stays atop the league leaders. Through 14 games, MacKinnon has recorded 10 goals (tied for best in the league) and 10 assists.