Rangers coach Gerard Gallant eventually did admit after a 2-1 loss in Game 6 that his team was tired because it had to play 20 playoff games in 40 days. But he wasn't going to use that as an excuse during the series.
In fact, Gallant's anger with how his team was playing was on display after the second period of Game 5, when it was tied 1-1 but didn't feel like it.
"How many 2-on-1s in the last five periods have we got?" Gallant said in the dressing room, surrounded by his players. "Anybody remember any? Huh? Nobody? I don't remember any in the last game and two periods tonight, but I remember seven or eight for those guys and that's just opening the door wide open. I talked about attitude before the game. I told you how they're going to play. They're not going to give you a whole lot. You're going to have to compete and battle. I haven't seen that yet. I haven't seen our compete and battle. I haven't seen a good attitude. I see guys coming back to the bench sulking like we're losing 5-1. That's what it feels like."
Cooper kept pushing the "Rangers are tired" narrative prior to Game 6.
"Their will is on a tight rope, they're ready to fall off," Cooper said. "In these situations, we just have to play our game and do what we've done for the last three and they'll just fall right off."
Cooper echoed that from the bench midway through Game 6, when it was still 0-0.
"They want an excuse to quit," he said.
Tampa Bay won 2-1 on Steven Stamkos' goal at 13:28 of the third period, 21 seconds after forward Frank Vatrano tied it for New York with a power-play goal.
Cooper and Gallant, who are close friends, met in the handshake line following the game.
"You know what? Your team is money, and you're so young," Cooper told Gallant.
Gallant replied, "You know what it's like, keep going. It's hard. Good luck, buddy."
The episode also briefly shifts to Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche were practicing and waiting patiently to find out who they would play in the Stanley Cup Final after sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final.
There are also a few light-hearted moments in the episode. You see Stamkos and his son, Carter, playing golf in his backyard before Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman comes over to play too. The cameras go inside Cooper's house prior to Game 6, where he's holding his family dog, Champ, and hugging his wife and kids before heading out into the rain to drive to the arena.
The episode also tells the story of Rangers equipment manager Acacio Marques, who missed time earlier this season because he was getting treatment for colon cancer that spread to his left lung.
"As of right now, the last test, they found like no cancer," Marques said. "Everything is looking pretty good and just knowing that people are thinking about you and you're not alone, that's the biggest thing."
