Ben Bishop's uncertain status changes Cup Final dynamic for Lightning
Tampa Bay continues to maintain that the team and Ben Bishop made the right call for the ‘day-to-day’ injured netminder to not play in Game 4, a 2-1 loss to Chicago.
“Got nothing but respect for Ben,” associate coach Rick Bowness said. “For him to play the way he did in Game 3 with the injury, give him full marks. He wants it as bad as anybody. He also knows the value of the position, the importance of the position. You have to be 100%. He didn't feel he was. So the right call was made.”
Wait, where was head coach Jon Cooper?
“Mental break” Bowness said.
Fair enough. Tough life hanging out with Vince Vaughn.
In Game 3, Cooper said he wouldn’t have played Bishop – who stopped 36 of 38 shots on goal – unless the goaltender was 100 percent. Hmm.
Per Bowness’ words, it appears that it was Bishop’s decision to not play Game 4.
What does this mean for Bishop’s immediate future in the Stanley Cup Final? That appears to be up to Bishop for Saturday’s Game 5.
“He'll come in tomorrow. He'll be looked at by our top-shelf, top-notch medical team,” Bowness said.
If a goaltender is not at least 100 percent healthy, it’s tough position to navigate. Especially in the playoffs. It’s a spot that requires an incredible amount of mental fortitude – even injury free. Add a problem in there and it majorly changes the dynamic.
Andrei Vasilevskiy fortunately gives the Lightning a solid option for an injured Bishop. He’s young, explosive and stopped 17 of 19 shots on goal in Game 4. But he lacks quite a few elements Bishop brings per defenseman Matt Carle.
“As an opposing team, when you know you're playing against a goalie that can handle the puck like Bish, it changes the way you play,” he said. “You have to be conscious of dumping pucks in and keeping it away from the goaltender. Vasi, there might be a bit of a communication factor there.”
Just take a step back for a second. Bishop is Tampa’s starting goaltender, and he’s out injured in the Stanley Cup Final. That’s just not a good situation.
Wednesday night, Cooper said Bishop will play again this series. According to Bowness, the goaltender was incredibly antsy during Game 4.
“Well, I've watched Ben for a long time now,” Bowness said. “I've never seen him as nervous as he was last night when he wasn't playing. Walked in the trainer's room. He's all wound up.”
Unfortunately for Tampa, being wound up in a training room doesn’t help a team on the ice.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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