It’s not often you see a head coach take out their frustrations on non-NHL team employees, and even less often that it’s a justified frustration, but that’s exactly what happened during Monday night’s game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was not happy with a penalty box attendant at Key Bank Arena after their failure to keep the door to the penalty box completely closed resulted in an injury to Lightning center Pontus Holmberg.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said the penalty box was not completely closed when Pontus Holmberg went into the boards, causing the forward’s injury.
Cooper: “I don’t know who was working the penalty box … but I don’t know if they should keep their job after what happened there.”
“I don’t know who’s working the penalty box over there, but I don’t know if they should keep their job after what happened there, leaving the door open,” Cooper said to the media after the game. “That could have hurt anybody on either team. Those are just dangerous situations so a little frustrated on my part, to be honest.”
The injury in question occurred with less than eight minutes left in the Lightning’s 4-2 loss to the Sabres on Monday. Holmberg was hit by Peyton Krebs into the boards in front of the home team penalty box, and while it at first seemed like an ordinary hit, Holmberg was slow to get up, holding his right shoulder while laying on the ice and getting to the bench under his own strength. However, a closer look at the hit showed that the penalty box door opens upon impact, and Holmberg’s shoulder slams into the part of the boards which the door connects to when closed.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have another injury to worry about. Pontus Holmberg’s shoulder and head go straight into the boards.
The Holmberg-Gourde-Girgensons line is critical come playoff time.
At this point in time, there isn’t a specific update on Holmberg or his timeline for return. However, when asked how he was doing, Cooper said Holmberg was “not good” and wasn’t optimistic about his status moving forward.
Jon Cooper tonight on the Pontus Holmberg injury:
“I don’t know who is working the penalty box over there, but I don’t know if they should keep their job after what happened there. Like, leaving the door open. That could have hurt anyone on either team. Those are just dangerous Show more
Holmberg has had a good season for the Lightning, setting career highs with 11 goals and 22 points in 70 games, while also providing elite defense with a -0.223 5v5 regularized adjusted plus-minus expected goals against per 60 minutes which ranks seventh among forwards.
This all comes in a crucial game for the Lightning. While they have a playoff spot clinched, their matchup against the Sabres was important in the race for the Atlantic Division, as both teams are now tied in points at 102. However, Tampa Bay still has one game in hand in this race.
