When Ben Bishop went down in a heap in the Tampa Bay Lightning crease in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with the Pittsburgh Penguins it seemed for all the world that he would not return until the new season at the earliest.
In an off-day presser, Bishop was sounding optimistic of his return to the series following good medical news.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stepped in after Bishop went down in Game 1 – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“Obviously went off the ice and got everything checked out, and all the X-rays were negative and the MRI was okay,” Bishop explained. “Now it’s just a matter of getting back to where it feels good again. But definitely just one of the scary things that have happened to me. It’s funny when something like that happens and your mind just starts racing and just thinking the worst, and luckily it’s not that bad.”
 In looking to make a stop early in Game 1 after misplaying the puck behind his cage, Bishop twisted around from the right side of the crease and appeared to contort his left leg.
“I mean, it was just a scary experience for myself,” Bishop said Sunday. “You saw the play, fell back, and felt something I’ve never felt before, and just pain right away.   Your mind just starts racing. You start thinking the worst thing. I’m thinking my leg is broken. Then you start — your mind just starts spinning, and I was really scared.”
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was asked Sunday about Bishop’s status for Game 2 Monday night.
“Haven’t ruled him out,” Cooper said. “Day-to-day. Nothing has changed there, but he’s getting better with each day, and it’s encouraging to say.”
Andrei Vasilevskiy played exceptionally well in the Bolts net for the balance of Game 1, earning the win.
Vasilevskiy was up and down to between the Lightning and Syracuse Crunch of the American League this season for game action.
“One thing we told Vasie early on was you’re not being demoted, you’re being — this is part of learning, and the one thing for goaltenders is you need games, and the more games you can get, regardless of where they are, the better you’re going to be,” Cooper said of the call-ups. “We just found even during the regular season, if there was an — if Vasie was going to go 10 games, two weeks without playing, we had to find him games.
“And it’s hard for a goaltender to be sharp if he’s not going to play. So we took advantage of sending him to the American League, and every time he came up from the American League, he was outstanding for us. And I think that’s really helped to get him more game reps for situations like we’re in now.”
Despite Bishop’s status he appears as comfortable with Vasilevskiy as Cooper is.
“Yeah, he’s a great goalie. He’s a fun guy to work with on and off the ice, and personally, you know, I know that he can go in there and do the job. He’s a young guy, but he’s got a lot of experience,” Bishop said. “He got to play in a Stanley Cup Final game last year, and he played really well, and he’s played well all season.
“There’s been a couple times where the score has gotten a little higher than you’d probably like, but if you watched the games he played, he played really well in those games and kind of kept the team in it even though the score was a little high. I think the guys in the room, or I know the guys in the room and myself, we have full confidence in him. He’s a great young goalie. He’s got a bright future in this league.”
Game 2 is Monday night in Pittsburgh with an 8:00 PM eastern start.
Cooper is as always evasive in his responses but look for Vasilevskiy in net for the Bolts net Monday.
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