Lightning coach won’t commit to Bishop for Game 5; Vasilevskiy will be ready
BRANDON — The day before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop was nowhere to be seen during the team’s skate at their practice facility. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who filled in for Bishop in Game 2 and started Game 4, was in one net, while Kristers Gudlevskis was in the other.
After Game 4, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper wouldn’t confirm Bishop would be back in goal Saturday night, only saying that the netminder would play again in the Final. On Friday, he reiterated that.
“I’m not going to sit here and commit as to whether he’s going to play Saturday,” he said. “He’s feeling better with each day.
“When we made the decision not to play him the other night, the decision just wasn’t made, ‘Oh, we’re not going to play him.’ It’s, ‘We’re not playing you and you’re taking the next three days off.’ This was all in the plan.”
Cooper added that he’ll know more after Saturday’s morning skate, but we likely won’t learn anything until the goalies lead their respective teams onto the Amalie Arena ice for warmups.
Friday was another day of uncertainty around Bishop and another day Lightning players expressed total confidence in whoever is in goal. Vasilevskiy, in his limited experience, has shown he can handle the pressure of this magnitude. He stopped all five shots he faced in relief of Bishop in Game 2 and made 17 of 19 saves in a 2-1 loss in Game 4.
The Lightning are more concerned with their lack of finishing chances after Game 4.
“He kept us in the game, gave us a chance to win. I don’t think if you score one goal it’s going to take a lot to win,” said Victor Hedman. “If you give up two goals usually it gives you a good chance to win a game. One goal’s not going to cut it. We had a lot of good chances. You have to give them credit and Crawford credit, too. He was lights out that game.”
Vasilevskiy said he hasn’t been told yet who’s starting Game 5, but he’s ready for however the situation plays out.
“When you play first game for last two months and in Stanley Cup Final, it’s a little bit tough,” he said. “But overall I feel good. I was ready for big pressure on me. I’m OK. Just mentally in my head [it] was good too.”
“If Bish play, I’m going to be ready too. Every game I’m just ready for the game and that’s it.”
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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