Everyone—from the players to the crowd to the coaches—is firing on all cylinders in the Battle of Florida, and every game seems tougher than the last. Physical play has been the main talking point after most games. After Game Four, Lightning coach Jon Cooper got fed up with constantly being asked the same question by reporters.
The Florida Panthers are up 3–1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Battle of Florida. The series has been feisty since Game One, marked by heavy hits and cheap shots.
Suspensions and Injuries
In Game Two, Lightning forward Brandon Hagel was suspended for one game after a late hit on the Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov. In Game Four, which took place in Sunrise last night, the Panthers’ Niko Mikkola received a major penalty and was ejected from the game after a nasty hit. Brandon Hagel was also injured and went straight to the tunnel after a massive hit from Aaron Ekblad, which sent the Panthers crowd into a frenzy.
Jon Cooper shuts down reporters
During the postgame press conference, most reporters—unsurprisingly—wanted Lightning coach Jon Cooper to comment on the heavy hitting. But Cooper had had enough.
“It’s getting tiresome answering questions about a hit every single game. So I’ll ask you: why are you asking me the question? Do you have anything to say about it? If anybody in here has something to say, stand up and let me know. Alright, let’s move on,” Cooper said.
Game five will be played Wednesday afternoon in Tampa. You can watch the clip below.
READ MORE: Crowd goes wild after Brandon Hagel gets injured
