Lightning coach Jon Cooper believes Nikita Kucherov was intentionally injured

The Tampa Bay Lightning showed they can't be counted out of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final Monday night by beating the Colorado Avalanche 6-2. However, that win may have come with a high cost as Bolts star player Nikita Kucherov left the game with just over five minutes left in the third following a hit from Devon Toews. Here's the hit:

Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper had no update on Kucherov after the game, but did say Toews knew what he was doing there.

"When you get asked questions like that, you're looking for an answer that everybody in the building already knows," said Cooper when asked if he thought Toews was playing dirty. "It's a contact game, but guys know what they're doing. Smart, savvy players know what they're doing with their stick, and we all saw it."

So far, there's been no word on whether Toews might be facing supplemental discipline from the NHL for the cross check. Toews received a two-minute minor on the play.

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