Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will miss the team's next two games after the death of his father, Robert. Assistant Rob Zettler will serve as acting head coach for Wednesday's match against Toronto and Thursday's game against Carolina. This marks a significant personal loss for the coach who led the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021 and coached Canada at the recent Olympics. 'Thoughts and prayers, as always, to Coop and his family,' Zettler stated, emphasizing the team's focus remains on supporting their coach during this difficult time.

The NHL resumed play Wednesday following its Olympic break, with the Lightning entering the day holding a six-point lead in the Atlantic Division and possessing the best record in the Eastern Conference with 78 points. They went 19-1-1 over their final 21 games before the break.