Bishop 'day-to-day' after being stretchered out of Game 1

Less than 24 hours after being stretchered off the ice of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop is considered “day-to-day” with a lower body injury.

The Tampa Bay Times spoke with Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman who gave the timetable on Bishop's injury, suffered in the first period of Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"Everything has been really good so far on Ben," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said on a conference call with reporters Saturday. "Much better news than the scene we saw what happened when he was carted off. As far as playing status, I have no answer.”

After the Game Cooper said Bishop, “had x-rays done and everything came back negative, so we’re hoping for the best ... he’s definitely hurt, but there’s nothing structurally wrong right now. That was a big relief."

Bishop was injured while scrambling back into position after a broken play around the Lightning’s net. He writhed in pain on the ice for several minutes, before being placed on the stretcher.

Andrei Vasilevkiy came into the game and stopped 25 of 26 Penguins shots on goal in the 3-1 win.

Bishop is arguably the best goaltender left in the playoffs. He was voted a Vezina Trophy finalist this year, and currently has a 1.86 goal-against average and .939 save percentage through 11 games this postseason.

This isn’t the first time the Lightning have dealt with injury questions about Bishop in a playoff run. Last year, Bishop suffered a groin injury and didn’t start Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

He left Game 2 of the Cup Final and was replaced by Vasilevskiy, who won that game. Both of Vasilevskiy’s playoff wins in his career have come in relief of an injured Bishop.

The 21-year-old Vasilevskiy was a first-round draft pick in 2012, but has played just 40 career NHL games and six postseason games.

The Lightning have played the entire postseason without top-two defenseman Anton Stralman, who is out with a fractured fibula and captain Steven Stamkos, who has missed time with a blood clot. Forward J.T. Brown (upper body injury) has played in three playoff games.

"Probably with all the injuries that have happened to us so far, I guess  you can sit here and say major contributors to our team, our players unwavered," Cooper said. "We just hope this is the end and, you know, we're able to get all these guys back because you've heard me talk many times before, let's not let this be Stralman's last game, Stamkos, Brown, Bishop, all these guys. If we're going out, we're all going out together. Keep hanging around. Our boys are pretty driven."

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