4. TRIPLETS
The line of Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov has been outstanding. But Cooper has gone back to the "Triplets" line of Johnson, Kucherov and Ondrej Palat at times, including the third period of Game 1 when the Lightning were dominant, and he had them together in practice Friday.
"Am I locked into the 'Triplets' or locked into not playing them together? No," Cooper said. "There's a bunch of different guys that have had success together and you're just trying to find the chemistry of what works. They've proven in the past that they can work together and hopefully it can continue."
5. KUCHEROV VS. TAVARES
For all the hype about a Russian winger and Canadian center in another series, Kucherov and Islanders captain John Tavares are the ones who share the NHL lead in playoff goals with six.
Kucherov was strong last year too, tying for third in playoff goals with 10 as the Lightning made the Stanley Cup Final. Tavares has been good enough to be a Hart Trophy finalist in the past, but this is his first chance to shine past the first round of the playoffs.
"He's hard to get a puck off, even if he's in a vulnerable spot," Lightning center Brian Boyle said. "You give him a little space, his shot's pretty deadly. He does all those things, and then he has that compete level too. He has a little bit of will in his game."