Sam Hitchcock: Chaos Reigns in Bolts' Overtime Victory

These games are getting harder and harder to watch while Cooper is still coach. Somebody fire this clown.

This game was not entertaining, it was infuriating. I found myself eyeing the bourbon bottle less than 5 minutes in.

Something needs to change and fast. This team will flame out again in the playoffs (if they even make it).

These games are getting harder and harder to watch while Cooper is still coach. Somebody fire this clown.

This game was not entertaining, it was infuriating. I found myself eyeing the bourbon bottle less than 5 minutes in.

Something needs to change and fast. This team will flame out again in the playoffs (if they even make it).
- GalacticStone

its kind of amazing that this team is 6-4-2 the way we have played... I will say there have been glimmers (faint and not very many) of the light at the end of the tunnel in some of these games but it seems like cooper is now trying to make a team full of high end skill players play like NYI and that's just not the solution with this roster.

I cant say that with time cooper cant turn this around but it would be a shame to waste this season holding on to the hope that he can figure it out when he hasn't in 3 years of coming up short.

its kind of amazing that this team is 6-4-2 the way we have played... I will say there have been glimmers (faint and not very many) of the light at the end of the tunnel in some of these games but it seems like cooper is now trying to make a team full of high end skill players play like NYI and that's just not the solution with this roster.

I cant say that with time cooper cant turn this around but it would be a shame to waste this season holding on to the hope that he can figure it out when he hasn't in 3 years of coming up short.
- headyhedman77

If these games were being played after the All-Star break, the Bolts would be 1-10-1 at best.

Holy sh!t these comment sections are depressing as hell! "Trade Johnson! Trade Gourde! Killorn is useless! Hedman is trash! Get rid of Stamkos! McDonagh is no good! Trade Sergachev! Fire Cooper (X 1,000,000)! I'm glad Yzerman is gone! BriseBois doesn't do anything!" Besides Point, who do you actually want to keep?!?!

You guys b!tch all summer about the team needing to change their philosophy (and the team is ACTUALLY DOING IT) and you expect change to happen over night! Bad Habits take a long time to break! It's been one month! The guys are probably still trying to get over last year's playoffs too (as are us fans).

Don't jump from the skyway bridge yet. Still a LOT of hockey to play. Half the teams make the playoffs! Our season is not over.

These games are getting harder and harder to watch while Cooper is still coach. Somebody fire this clown.

This game was not entertaining, it was infuriating. I found myself eyeing the bourbon bottle less than 5 minutes in.

Something needs to change and fast. This team will flame out again in the playoffs (if they even make it).
- GalacticStone

I really don't understand you're fascination with getting rid of Cooper. You think his system is Kucherov you play lazy, don't back check and try to make all the fancy plays known to man? You think his system is Serg, turn the puck over and make bad decisions, we need to work on our defensive zone scramble and our goalies need work.

Change the system all you want, the stars will play how they want to play.

Holy sh!t these comment sections are depressing as hell! "Trade Johnson! Trade Gourde! Killorn is useless! Hedman is trash! Get rid of Stamkos! McDonagh is no good! Trade Sergachev! Fire Cooper (X 1,000,000)! I'm glad Yzerman is gone! BriseBois doesn't do anything!" Besides Point, who do you actually want to keep?!?!

You guys b!tch all summer about the team needing to change their philosophy (and the team is ACTUALLY DOING IT) and you expect change to happen over night! Bad Habits take a long time to break! It's been one month! The guys are probably still trying to get over last year's playoffs too (as are us fans).

Don't jump from the skyway bridge yet. Still a LOT of hockey to play. Half the teams make the playoffs! Our season is not over.
- LightningMcKing

I'd keep Johnson and Gourde. Johnson is a finisher. Gourde hustles. Gourde is a little overpaid, but not terribly so. He fills a role like Killorn does - also overpaid, but not grossly so. (The term bothers me more on that one than the cap hit does).

Hedman is one of the best D-men on Earth, he just needs to start throwing some hits. Even Stralman could unleash a wicked hip-check from time to time.

I'm not glad Yzerman is gone. Maybe overrated a bit, but he turned this team around and built what we have now. Kudos where it is due.

I wouldn't trade Sergachev today (unless it was a lopsided deal), but I am leaning more and more in that direction as time goes on.

I think the griping on here is justified. This ownership and management has set a high bar with fan expectations. Last year's playoffs was a historic and epic meltdown. More changes should have been made. This is deja-vu all over again, except this time the Bolts' PDO is not bailing them out like it did last year during the regular season. The PDO well has run dry.

I really don't understand you're fascination with getting rid of Cooper. You think his system is Kucherov you play lazy, don't back check and try to make all the fancy plays known to man? You think his system is Serg, turn the puck over and make bad decisions, we need to work on our defensive zone scramble and our goalies need work.

Change the system all you want, the stars will play how they want to play.
- Kucherovski

Kucherov boggles my mind. For a couple of seasons, his backchecking and defensive play was improving. Now he seems to do a lot of floating around. A good coach would light a fire under his ass and if that didn't work, bench him.

Sergachev is a forward on defense. I fear he'll never be good on defense. He panics under pressure and makes bone-headed mistakes. Again, a good coach could give him some tough love. If that fails, then shop him around.

Nobody should feel safe on this team and that is part of the problem. Too many fat contracts with long term and no trade clauses. Too much comfort and security results in lazy play when combined with weak coaching and compromised systems.

Cooper is a key part of the puzzle, but not the only missing piece.

I'd keep Johnson and Gourde. Johnson is a finisher. Gourde hustles. Gourde is a little overpaid, but not terribly so. He fills a role like Killorn does - also overpaid, but not grossly so. (The term bothers me more on that one than the cap hit does).

Hedman is one of the best D-men on Earth, he just needs to start throwing some hits. Even Stralman could unleash a wicked hip-check from time to time.

I'm not glad Yzerman is gone. Maybe overrated a bit, but he turned this team around and built what we have now. Kudos where it is due.

I wouldn't trade Sergachev today (unless it was a lopsided deal), but I am leaning more and more in that direction as time goes on.

I think the griping on here is justified. This ownership and management has set a high bar with fan expectations. Last year's playoffs was a historic and epic meltdown. More changes should have been made. This is deja-vu all over again, except this time the Bolts' PDO is not bailing them out like it did last year during the regular season. The PDO well has run dry.
- GalacticStone

Yzerman was so overrated. First round picks were horrible
Everyone knew Point and Kuch were something in junior, but they were small...each averaged 2 points plus at world junior
Hedman won’t hit a fly
Defense sucks...Mcdonagh can’t skate...couldn’t pick up slack when Hedman hurt last year in playoffs...great draft here 2020...hope for injuries cause this team ain’t gonna win it all

Yzerman was so overrated. First round picks were horrible
Everyone knew Point and Kuch were something in junior, but they were small...each averaged 2 points plus at world junior
Hedman won’t hit a fly
Defense sucks...Mcdonagh can’t skate...couldn’t pick up slack when Hedman hurt last year in playoffs...great draft here 2020...hope for injuries cause this team ain’t gonna win it all
- leafluver27

Yzerman's drafting was entirely overrated. And he signed off on some stinker contracts. But, his high standard of work ethic and professionalism trickled down to many of the staff and players. I can't help but notice that when Yzerman's role shrunk, some members of the team started to slack off more. He is a Hall of Fame player, and he brought respect to this franchise that was sorely lacking since 2004.

I think this team still has a window to win it all. Even if they slip in as a wild card, Vasi could get hot and anything could happen with this level of talent on the team - IF they turn it up a notch in the post-season, which they failed to do last year. Big IF there. As of right now, I am not optimistic.

its kind of amazing that this team is 6-4-2 the way we have played... I will say there have been glimmers (faint and not very many) of the light at the end of the tunnel in some of these games but it seems like cooper is now trying to make a team full of high end skill players play like NYI and that's just not the solution with this roster.

I cant say that with time cooper cant turn this around but it would be a shame to waste this season holding on to the hope that he can figure it out when he hasn't in 3 years of coming up short.
- headyhedman77

It’s unfortunate they’re not playing like that. They may have had a better record at this point.

Yzerman was so overrated. First round picks were horrible
Everyone knew Point and Kuch were something in junior, but they were small...each averaged 2 points plus at world junior
Hedman won’t hit a fly
Defense sucks...Mcdonagh can’t skate...couldn’t pick up slack when Hedman hurt last year in playoffs...great draft here 2020...hope for injuries cause this team ain’t gonna win it all
- leafluver27

Dude, I dont know if you are trolling or just clueless. You been on this boards all year making chickensh*t out of feathers. You are on the same level as Tanner, which is the biggest insult any person with some integrity could get.

Point and Kuch where great picks in any way you turn it. But all that is Murrays credit. He is a great scout. Palat, Killorn, Volkov, Paquette, Raddysh, Katchouk, Foote, Vasilevski.. All good picks related to their draftposition.

Have you forgot the Bishop trade? Both of them. Stamkos, Kuch, Hedman contracts. St Louis trade. McDonagh trade. Yzerman has way more hits then misses on his time in Tampa.

Hedman comment is ridiculous. He is a norris throphy winner and one of the consistent best defensemen in the league.

The first rounders have a lot to be desired, I can agree with you on that. But they havent all been misses and he made sure to convert them into assets once their time in Tampa was up.

Also, no matter of your intentions; its always a d*ck move to root for injuries.

Dude, I dont know if you are trolling or just clueless. You been on this boards all year making chickensh*t out of feathers. You are on the same level as Tanner, which is the biggest insult any person with some integrity could get.

Point and Kuch where great picks in any way you turn it. But all that is Murrays credit. He is a great scout. Palat, Killorn, Volkov, Paquette, Raddysh, Katchouk, Foote, Vasilevski.. All good picks related to their draftposition.

Have you forgot the Bishop trade? Both of them. Stamkos, Kuch, Hedman contracts. St Louis trade. McDonagh trade. Yzerman has way more hits then misses on his time in Tampa.

Hedman comment is ridiculous. He is a norris throphy winner and one of the consistent best defensemen in the league.

The first rounders have a lot to be desired, I can agree with you on that. But they havent all been misses and he made sure to convert them into assets once their time in Tampa was up.

Also, no matter of your intentions; its always a d*ck move to root for injuries.
- Cloud

100% agree! He's a troll that needs to go back to the leafs page. Never has anything positive to say.

Standards.

This team has spent the better part of 5+ seasons establishing standards.

This season... I'm not seeing those standards. Undisciplined play (see: penalties), lack of will (see: the PK), floating offensive star...who is usually a two-way force (Kuch)...

Yeah, they'll make the playoffs. Probably as the 2nd or 3rd Atlantic seed, at this rate.

But... then what? We meet the Leafs in the playoffs? Sure, we'll win. They're softer and play less of a team game then we do. Talent is on par.

What the hell will we see vs. the Bruins?

I get the whole "it's a new system" thing re: the lower scoring. Taking selfish penalties is not a system. Floating on the perimeter is not a system.

October is over. Bolts, it's time to get to work.

I can't stand everyone panicking. This is no time to panic. This is how a normal regular season should go. You find out what you can do well and areas where you're weak. you fix them as the season goes along.

Last year, the season was too easy for Tampa and they weren't ready for adversity come playoffs. This team needs to learn to adapt. They failed to do that last year.

Now is not the time to get rid of cooper or any other personnel. This team has too much talent and experience to not at least be in contention for a playoff spot. Wait until the trade deadline. Then say who we need to get rid of.

Dude, I dont know if you are trolling or just clueless. You been on this boards all year making chickensh*t out of feathers. You are on the same level as Tanner, which is the biggest insult any person with some integrity could get.

Point and Kuch where great picks in any way you turn it. But all that is Murrays credit. He is a great scout. Palat, Killorn, Volkov, Paquette, Raddysh, Katchouk, Foote, Vasilevski.. All good picks related to their draftposition.

Have you forgot the Bishop trade? Both of them. Stamkos, Kuch, Hedman contracts. St Louis trade. McDonagh trade. Yzerman has way more hits then misses on his time in Tampa.

Hedman comment is ridiculous. He is a norris throphy winner and one of the consistent best defensemen in the league.

The first rounders have a lot to be desired, I can agree with you on that. But they havent all been misses and he made sure to convert them into assets once their time in Tampa was up.

Also, no matter of your intentions; its always a d*ck move to root for injuries.
- Cloud

Never routing for anyone to get hurt, ever. It’s a great graft and an inside joke at the arena where we all sit at Amalie arena.

Sitting at a hockey game you see so very much more. I wouldn’t pay lower bowl costs if I didn’t love hockey. While yes not a bolts fan I love hockey. I could go over all the picks in detail but I won’t waste anytime but first rounders Stevie really flamed out.

I am going to take a hiatus from watching games. These just aren't fun or entertaining to watch any more. I have better things to do with 3 hours of my life on any given night.

Fire Cooper and train officials to enforce the rules with consistency and I'll start watching again.

Yall have fun, I'm out.

Good timing, can't watch for a week anyway.
How the hell is Coburn a healthy scratch against the Isles and Schenn is in. What the frig.

Good timing, can't watch for a week anyway.
How the hell is Coburn a healthy scratch against the Isles and Schenn is in. What the frig.
- Sityak

Cooper. That's why.