TAMPA BAY, Fla. — In the Lightning’s third preseason game, coach Jon Cooper was impressed with his first glimpse of a new third line.
The combination of 30-somethings Pat Maroon, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Corey Perry had size and veteran savvy. They drove play into the offensive zone and knew where to be on the ice. And for their first time playing together, they seemed to have a natural feel for each other.
“You’d think those guys have been here (together) for years,” Cooper said at the time.
