Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper had some praise for the Islanders on Thursday morning, a team he said was discounted by most after John Tavares' departure.
"When John left the team in summer I think there was this automatic that the Islanders aren't going to be any good. It's clear they were not a one-man team. He's a wonderful player and we can see that playing in Toronto. There's definitely a supporting cast there and that team was a playoff team a couple years ago and they've got pretty much the same group except for Mathew Barzal and a couple of young guys. Anders Lee has taken over the reins there, he leads by example. The one thing they're getting they probably haven't gotten consistently in the past is really good goaltending. Anytime you have that then you're scare teams. Barry's proved what he did with that team in Washington is what he's doing with the Islanders."
