HIGHLIGHTS
- Lightning forward Pontus Holmberg crashed into an open penalty box door during Tampa Bay’s 4-2 loss to Buffalo on Monday night and left the game with a left arm injury
- Jon Cooper ripped the penalty box attendant after the game, saying the person responsible shouldn’t keep their job
- Read below for the full breakdown of what happened, the Lightning’s reaction, and why the NHL is investigating
Jon Cooper didn’t hold back after Monday night’s loss to Buffalo.
The Lightning head coach unloaded on the penalty box attendant at KeyBank Center after forward Pontus Holmberg was injured by an open penalty box door in the third period of Tampa Bay’s 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
Here’s what happened. Holmberg took a clean check from Peyton Krebs in open ice and lost his balance heading toward the boards. At the same time, the penalty box attendant was opening the door to release Buffalo’s Zach Benson, whose roughing minor was expiring with 7:20 left in the period. Holmberg fell directly into the open door, going shoulder-first into the edge of it.
The attendant slammed the door shut after impact, but it was too late. Play stopped with 7:16 on the clock. Holmberg did not return and was later seen leaving the arena with his left arm in a sling.
“I don’t know who’s working the penalty box over there, but I don’t know if they should keep their job after what happened there, like, leaving the door open,” Cooper said. He added that the situation “could have hurt anybody on either team” and called it a “dangerous situation” that shouldn’t happen at this level.
Brandon Hagel was more blunt. The Lightning forward walked out of the locker room, overheard the discussion about what happened, and said the attendant “should be fired.”
Asked about Holmberg’s status, Cooper kept it short. “Not good.”
The NHL confirmed it is investigating but didn’t say anything beyond that.
The timing makes this sting even more for Tampa Bay. The Lightning are already without Victor Hedman (personal leave), Anthony Cirelli (undisclosed), and Scott Sabourin (lower body). Losing Holmberg to something entirely preventable adds to the frustration for a team that clinched a playoff spot and is trying to stay healthy with five games left in the regular season.
Tampa Bay sits at 47-22-8 with 102 points, first in the Atlantic but in a tight race with Montreal and Buffalo for seeding. Holmberg had been contributing in a bottom-six role and on the penalty kill. Losing him to a penalty box door, this close to the playoffs, is the kind of thing a locker room doesn’t forget quickly.
