But by the time the Lightning reached the Cup Final, 11/7 started to lose its luster. The Bolts dropped Game 1 of the Cup Final to Dallas 4-1. Entering Game 2, they were 1-2 over their last three games and 2-3 over the last five. The Stars had ample time to scout and prepare for the Lightning's different look having wrapped up their Western Conference Final against Vegas on Monday and having four days rest before the start of the Stanley Cup Final while the Lightning weren't able to move past the Islanders until Thursday and got just one day off before going right back into the fire of another series.
Cooper has been a coach throughout his career who sticks with a lineup if his team is winning and makes little if any changes. But when their play starts to stagnate, he's not adverse to switching the forward lines or moving the defensive pairings around or shifting from 12/6 to 11/7 or vice versa.
Monday's Game 2 was another example. Having hit the roughest patch of the 2020 Playoffs so far, Cooper gambled on a lineup change to try to get a first win in the series. He brought defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Carter Verhaeghe into the lineup in favor of Schenn and Zach Bogosian, going back to the 12/6 alignment the team used for the first nine games of the postseason and pretty much all of the regular season.
And the maneuver was successful. Tampa Bay exploded for three goals in the first period in a span of 3:53, including connecting twice on the power play, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in Game 2 and then held on down the stretch to win 3-2 and level the series 1-1.
"There's guys that have played in series and guys that have come out depending on how the game goes, how our team's going, our health. So many factors go into it," Jon Cooper said after the Game 2 win. "But you need everyone to buy in. As a staff, we have to make decisions how we think we're going to win in the next game, taking some guys out and putting some guys in. Some of the guys, there's a decision to be made because we're forced to make them, aka, unfit to play. But it's what's been great about this team is, sure everybody gets disappointed when they don't get to play, but in the end, everyone's really, really excited when you win and we're doing everything we can as a staff and as a group to put the best team on the ice to win that night. And guys understand. To go more into the decision making, we've been with this group for a while. We felt that this group could fit the pace of play that we needed, and they did."
The decision to insert Rutta into the lineup was a gamble. The 30-year-old defenseman had played just one game since early February. He was hurt in a game February 4 versus Vegas, suffering a lower-body injury that kept him out for the remainder of the regular season.
When the restart training camp opened, he was healthy again but needed time to work back into hockey shape. He entered into a battle with Bogosian for the right side spot alongside Victor Hedman on the Bolts' top pair. Bogosian was the front runner after an outstanding training camp. Rutta was still in the Lightning's plans, however, he played just one game in the Round Robin against Boston on August 5 before being deemed unfit to play, the job going to Bogosian for the remainder of the postseason.
Until Game 2.
Saying Rutta had been healthy for "a few weeks" but unable to crack the lineup with the Lightning playing so well, Cooper saw an opportunity in Game 2 against Dallas where Rutta could be effective, although the thought of thrusting a player with just one game of action in about eight months into the pressure-packed situation of a Stanley Cup Final was concerning.
"Your worry is how are they going to adjust to the speed because it's extremely hard to jump into a NHL game after you've missed time. It is tenfold jumping into the Stanley Cup Final," Cooper said. "And so, you worry about that, but he's been working his tail off in practice. He's been a little bit battle tested. The timing and everything you need, and it took him a few shifts. But after that he's done everything we've asked of him. He's been a big contributor for us before he got hurt in the regular season. He spent a lot of time with Victor in the regular season, so we knew there'd be a comfort level if he did come back."
Circumstances dictated a need to go back to Rutta too. After Game 2, Cooper was asked if sitting Schenn and Bogosian was a coach's decision or because they were unfit to play. Cooper answered it was one and one but didn't elaborate which player was injured.
