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]

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