Lightning head coach blames referees for his team being blown out by the Leafs on Thursday

You know, it's funny, when the shoe is on the other foot, what everyone has to say. Two nights prior, when the Bolts beat the Leafs 7-3, getting 8 power plays to Toronto's 4, people really wanted to criticize the Leafs for being undisciplined and taking too many bad penalties. Not only that, but the Leafs' fanbase was also criticized for questioning the officiating and the number of brutal penalties the Leafs had been assessed in the game. Now, following the Leafs' 7-2 win over the Lightning, there seems to be an awful lot of people coming out of the woodwork to suggest that Tampa got jobbed by the refs last night. One of them is Bolts head coach Jon Cooper.

The Leafs were awarded 6 power plays last night, as opposed to Tampa's 3. The difference is that, this time around, the penalties were all warranted. There were even a number of calls that were missed, on both sides as well, but that wasn't the story in last night's game. The Leafs dictated the pace of that game, outshot the Bolts 37-22, and controlled play for much of the game. The win was earned, and for Cooper to suggest anything to the contrary is petty and sad. Just take the L and move on, Jon. We had to, so you should too.