Jonathan Drouin didn’t have his best game on Wednesday, but he made up for it on Friday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning tied the Eastern Conference Final with a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Head coach Jon Cooper took notice, and praised the young forward’s play following the Game 4 victory.
“You’re not going to sail through playoffs and sit here and say, ‘oh, well, we play so many games, every one is a great one,'” Cooper told reporters after the game. “He’s still a young player, and the one thing is you’ve got to trust your players. He has earned trust.”
Drouin has been a polarizing figure in the league after a tumultuous season with the NHL club, but has shone bright this post-season, demonstrating his ability to become a more reliable two-way player.
The proof is in the numbers: The 21-year-old has collected three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 14 games.
“This is a team sport, and we’re going to win as a team. Guys make mistakes all the time,” said Cooper. “But Jonathan’s done way more positive than he has negative. There’s not a chance we’re going to sit him down or anybody down because they make one or two mistakes in a game.
“That kid is mentally tough, and he’s proven that throughout this whole year and now into the playoffs.”
“You can’t sit here and pinpoint one specific reason why we’re sitting here in the Conference Final 2-2, but I’ll tell you, Jonathan Drouin’s had a big part of that.”