Jon Cooper still can't give the Leafs their due, even after losing the series

The Leafs gave the Lightning all they could handle in their Round 1 series, but even though the Buds skated away with the 4-2 series win, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper's post-game comments left a lot to be desired from a respecting the Leafs standpoint.

"I'm not going to get into a debate of like who's the better team. They beat us 4 games to 2, so statistics say they were the better team than us. But do I sit here and think we could have really done anything different to change the tide? No, like... we played well enough to win this series. I think anybody that watched the series would agree with that."

Cooper went on to mention that losing 3 OT games at home was the difference in the series, stating that it just isn't good enough from his team. He didn't go out of his way to give the Leafs credit for their comebacks in Games 3 and 4. Instead, he was quoted as saying the Lightning "gave it away" on both accounts.

Regardless, nobody in Toronto is losing sleep over what Cooper has to say about the series. The end result is the same. The Leafs are moving on and the Lightning are on their way to enjoying a long summer for the first time in several years.