Cooper, Lightning look to ‘move on’ after Kadri OT goal in Game 4

TAMPA — Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning were looking ahead to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS) and not back at how Game 4 ended before they boarded their flight to Denver Thursday.

An emotional Cooper suggested after the Lightning’s 3-2 loss in Game 4 on Wednesday that center Nazem Kadri’s winning goal 12:02 into overtime should not have counted because Colorado had too many men on the ice. Though the Tampa Bay coach restated Thursday his belief that it was an “unfortunate non-call,” he wanted to move past it with the Lightning trailing 3-1 in the best-of-7 series and needing to win Friday to keep alive their bid for their third straight Stanley Cup title.

“What’s great about today is that it’s not yesterday and now we’ve got some excitement for Game 5 and that’s where now my mind is turning on, how to win that,” Cooper said. “Nothing we can do to turn back. They missed it. It’s unfortunate, but it’s water under the bridge. Let’s go get ready for what should be a hell of a Game 5.”

NHL Hockey Operations issued a statement on Kadri’s goal following the game:

“A too many men on the ice penalty is a judgment call that can be made by any of the four on-ice officials. Following the game, Hockey Operations met with the four officials as is their normal protocol. In discussing the winning goal, each of the four officials advised that they did not see a too many men on the ice situation on the play. This call is not subject to video review either by Hockey Ops or the on-ice officials.”

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Cooper acknowledged he didn’t know what happened on the winning goal until watching the video when he returned to Tampa Bay’s locker room after the game. He contended Kadri jumped on the ice and played the puck before center Nathan MacKinnon, the player he replaced during a line change, got off the ice.

“I would say 99 percent of the time the guy going on the ice jumps on first,” Cooper said. “That’s why they have that little kind of safe zone because there’s only two doors and guys hop over and so that happens all the time. The reason there’s a rule is if you gain a significant advantage, and that’s probably what happened there. But that happens, like, all the time in line changes. It’s an inexact science. But the purpose of the rule is not to gain an advantage.”

Video: COL@TBL, Gm4: Kadri beats Vasilevskiy for OT winner

After Cooper put the spotlight on Kadri’s winning goal, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar watched the video too, and concluded “nothing” unusual happened during the change between Kadri and MacKinnon.

“That’s part of the game,” Bednar said. “It’s a fluid game. You’re changing on the fly, everything happens. You look at that clip, you back that clip up — and I did multiple times already to see what exactly what they were talking about — and Tampa’s got two guys jumping on with their ‘D’ coming off the ice from a zone away. I count 7-6 at one point. So that is what it is. That’s the way the game is played.

“I don’t see it as a break or a non-break. I actually see it as nothing.”

Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was on the ice for Kadri’s goal, agreed that what happened during the change between Kadri and MacKinnon was not uncommon.

“It probably happens more times than we think,” McDonagh said. “Obviously, it’s heightened there with the result and the outcome, and you ask players, we’re looking for every inch to get an advantage and try and jump in the play when you know your change is coming. It’s impossible to say what’s the right decision there.

“It’s so fast, and it probably happens a million more times a game more than we think.”

A less emotional Cooper categorized it as “a break” for Colorado he preferred not to dwell upon with Tampa Bay facing elimination Friday.

“I’ve moved on,” Cooper said. “I’d be really happy to talk about tomorrow night’s game if anybody wants to talk about that.”