BUFFALO — Jon Cooper took one look at the size of the media scrum waiting for his morning availability at KeyBank Center on Monday and broke into a wry grin.
“What’s everyone doing here?” the Tampa Bay Lightning coach asked. “It’s Game 77, not Game 83.”
Don’t be fooled. He was toying with the press. He knows exactly why.
And so does this entire city.
It’s all part of the anticipation of the clash between the Lightning and Buffalo Sabres on Monday (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, NHLN, MSG-B, TVAS), a rematch of what fans here are calling “the game” of the NHL season.
On March 8, the two Atlantic Division rivals combined for 15 goals, 28 penalties, 102 penalty minutes and 10 fighting majors. Lightning forward Brandon Hagel received a $5,000 fine from the NHL for his actions as the aggressor of an altercation with Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin.
When the dust had settled, the Sabres won 8-7 in what many players described as a game played in a playoff atmosphere, one they expect to be replicated, if not intensified, this time around.
“I think it will be tremendous for sure,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “There’ll be a little bit about trying to keep your emotions in check. You have to balance that out too.
“But you’d rather have your team jacked up than not jacked up.”
Emotions will not be an issue.
The game itself?
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