No one should get ahead of themselves after three games, but I’m definitely drinking the Cooper Kool-Aid.
The team is 2-0-1 with Cooper at the controls, with Thursday’s 5-0 drubbing of the Carolina Hurricanes being the first game to end in regulation in his tenure. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)
Aside from the fact that the team is trending in the right direction, here are a few reasons to love Cooper’s approach:
- Rejuvenation: Players typically surge after a coaching change, but the change has been especially noticeable in Teddy Purcell. Cooper has leaned on Purcell and used him heavily in all situations, including the shootouts in the first two games. Teddy is a talented player who inevitably finds his way to the doghouse at some point every season. Maybe Cooper can keep him going.
- Hard on (the puck): Cooper’s system encourages players to be stronger on the puck, especially in the form of defensemen pinching to keep the puck in the offensive zone. This may seem like it would cause more odd man rushes for the other team, but it has worked well thus far and led to much better offensive zone possession for the Bolts. There’s also been a marked difference in the puck retrieval game. it seemed like many of the dump-ins under Guy Boucher were simply turned the other way by the opposing team.
- Less is more: While Cooper’s system certainly preaches defensive responsibility, the players definitely have more freedom. Exhibit “A” is defenseman Victor Hedman, who has been rushing the puck like a mad man these past few games before his injury. It seems that Boucher’s system was too rigid, causing the forwards and defensemen to back off the puck for the sake of being in position.
This is definitely a small sample size, but there is a lot to like thus far. The team is bound to have a bad game soon, because all teams do. That being said, Cooper seems like a good coach for this group and hopefully the positive trends will continue.
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