Andrei Vasilevskiy likely to start Game 2 vs. Penguins

Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to get his second career Stanley Cup playoff start Monday night in Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Tampa Bay Lightning netminder took part in the pre-game skate while Ben Bishop, who was injured early in Saturday’s series opener, did some off-ice workouts. He remains day-to-day.

“It was a feeling that I'd never felt, and then all of a sudden kind of pressure and pain. First thing I thought, I thought I broke my leg. That's what I was thinking,” Bishop said on Sunday. “And it was just like, you're just thinking the worst and you're just upset and you think your season is over and your summer is over, and how long  it's going to take to get back. It's funny how much stuff you can think about in a short period of time.”

Vasilevskiy, who played the final 47 minutes of Game 1 stopping 25 of 26 shots during the 3-1 victory, last started an NHL postseason game a year ago in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 2-1 loss.

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While Bishop could be out, the Lightning may get Anton Stralman back for Game 2. The defenseman has been sidelined since March 25 with a broken leg and skated Monday, leaving the ice Lightning regulars, a potential good sign.

Tampa head coach Jon Cooper said on Sunday that the decision on whether Stralman plays is now in the veteran blue liner’s hands.

“Now we're getting to the point where he is -- Stralman is definitely day-to-day now, and that's great news because he is extremely important player on our team" Cooper said. "So we'll just -- it's kind of going to be all to Strals here now, how he's feeling … But it's been encouraging to watch him play, and you're looking at him right now at practice, you wouldn't even think he was hurt. He's not favoring anything, so it's a really good sign.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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