The Tampa Bay Lightning will have a familiar presence back behind the bench Saturday night.
Head coach Jon Cooper is set to return as the Lightning host the Buffalo Sabres at Benchmark International Arena. Cooper missed the past two games following the death of his father earlier this week.
Cooper has rarely missed time since taking over as head coach in March 2013. Prior to this week, he had been absent just twice — missing a Dec. 21, 2021 game at Vegas after entering COVID protocol and a Nov. 18 game for personal reasons, when assistant Jeff Halpern stepped in.
Players and staff said Saturday morning that Cooper’s return was immediately felt inside the room.
“He’s one of those people that has a really big presence, but it’s not overbearing,” assistant coach Dan Hinote said. “It’s like, everything’s going to be okay. He had that when he walked in the room today. We’re all kind of doing different things because he’s missing, and then when he walks in, it’s like … everything’s okay, Coop’s here. That’s how it feels in the locker room, and that’s how it feels when he leads the team.”
The Lightning enter Saturday’s matchup first in the Atlantic Division at 38-15-4.