Lightning win, but lose goalie Bishop to injury
PITTSBURGH — Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper has talked all through the playoffs about picking up goalie Ben Bishop, who has bailed out the Lightning so often in a Vezina Trophy-caliber season.
Cooper just never envisioned it happening like this — lifting Bishop onto a stretcher early in the first period and watching as the team MVP left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Penguins on Friday with a left leg injury.
What could have been a crushing blow — Bishop was on his back after an awkward fall, holding his left knee in obvious pain — didn’t seem to faze Tampa Bay.
The Lightning came through with a 3-1 win as Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin scored and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves in relief of Bishop in the opener of the best-of-seven series.
Bishop was hurt as he scrambled to get back in the crease when his left leg appeared to get caught under him.