Cooper: 'Zero idea why' referee blew whistle on disallowed Lightning goal
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper wasn't as animated postgame as he was in the immediate aftermath of a disallowed goal that would've given his club a 4-2 lead in an eventual overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
But he appeared to be just as baffled about the referee blowing the play dead.
"I have zero idea why he blew the whistle," Cooper said after a 4-3 defeat in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series. "It was shocking. The entire building - there (were) 20,000 people - saw (the puck) was sitting right there. What I don't get is I don't know what the ref had to gain by blowing the whistle."
Late in the second period, Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie tried to clear the puck out of his team's defensive zone from behind the net. His attempt deflected off Lightning forward Brayden Point in front before the attacking player forced it in. However, the goal was immediately nullified on the blown whistle.
"It was shocking."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 23, 2023
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper questioned why the referee blew the whistle on a potential loose puck under Ilya Samsonov that got pushed in the net by Brayden Point after the play was blown dead in Game 3. pic.twitter.com/z2hxhuspAs
"Listen, that's not why we lost (if) you look back now," Cooper acknowledged postgame. "But I just don't get it."
The disallowed goal wasn't the only controversial moment in Game 3. Early in the third period, a melee ensued after Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly drove Point into the boards. Auston Matthews and Steven Stamkos squared off in the NHL's first-ever fight between two 60-goal scorers.
"The fight itself, that's a classic example of a veteran championship team like Tampa Bay manipulating the officials and taking advantage of the situation," Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said postgame.
On Sunday afternoon, Cooper questioned Keefe's assessment of the situation.
"Manipulating the referees? I'm not sure what that means," Cooper said, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.
Maple Leafs center Ryan O'Reilly tied the game with one minute remaining in regulation before Rielly netted the winner with 45 seconds left in the extra frame.
Toronto took a 2-1 series lead as a result. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night in Tampa Bay.