Bolts HC Jon Cooper gives his flowers to Canucks after overcoming 2-0 deficit with 6-2 win: 'The right team won the game'


The Vancouver Canucks erased a 2-0 deficit and exploded for six unanswered goals, delivering the Tampa Bay Lightning a 6-2 loss on Sunday.

The Canucks made a relentless push in the third period, scoring quick goals by Kiefer Sherwood, Linus Karlsson and Drew O'Connor in less than two minutes to take a 4-2 lead.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper didn't mince words in his postgame press conference, lamenting his team's letdown while praising the Canucks for their poise and persistence.

“I have to give Vancouver all the credit in the world. They're down in the middle of a hockey game. They're down 2-0. We've probably had more goals than shots on net in the middle of the game and what have they done? They went ahead and tried and continued to understand that a game is 60 minutes, not 30,” Cooper said.

He added:

“The other team is down 2 feeling really good about themselves to the point where it was the tortoise and the hare. One team got comfortable, and in this league, the second it happens, you're done. We got comfortable. They hung in there. The right team won the game.”

Jon Cooper: “I have to give Vancouver all the credit in the world. They're down in the middle of a hockey game. They're down 2-0. We probably had more goals than shots on net in the middle of the game and what did they do? They went ahead and tried and did it.

Meanwhile, the Bolts' Nikita Kucherov raised his career tally to 365 goals, tying Martin St. Louis as the third most in Lightning history.

How Vancouver Canucks take down Tampa Bay Lightning?

Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring for the Lightning after putting them up 1-0 at 4:35 of the first period. In the second period, Jake Guentzel extended the Bolts' lead to 2-0.

Jake DeBrusk cut the deficit to 2-1 for the Canucks with his power play goal at 9:26. The Canucks broke out in the third period, with three quick goals by Kiefer Sherwood (PPG), Linus Karlsson and Drew O'Connor to put them ahead 4-2.

Mackenzie MacEachern extended the Canucks' lead to 5-2 before Marcus Pettersson sealed the win with an empty net shot at 16:57. captain Quinn Hughes he contributed four assists in the win.