TAMPA, Fla. – The shroud of mystery hovering over the Tampa Bay Lightning’s crease in the most important hockey games of the year continues.
Both Ben Bishop and head coach Jon Cooper, the decision-makers here, said they didn’t know if the goaltender would be good to go for Game 5 Saturday night at Amalie Arena.
“I hope I have a decision to make between him and Andrei [Vasilevskiy],” Cooper said during a one-question, one-answer podium appearance Saturday morning. “That would be great.”
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After three full days off, the ailing Bishop participated in Saturday’s morning skate and was the first goaltender to leave the ice. He appeared relaxed, laughing and walking around the dressing room in shorts and flip-flops afterward.
He and Cooper will have a conversation this morning and determine if the goaltender is good to start, but fans won’t know until we see which goalie leads the Lightning onto the ice for warm-up Saturday night.
“It’s not one person saying one thing. It’s a conversation between all the parties and a decision gets made,” Bishop said.
“You have to do what’s best for the team. At this time of year, it’s all about the team and wins. It’s not about personal accolades at all.”
Bishop started games 1, 2 and 3, but backup Vasilevskiy got the start in Game 4’s 2-1 loss in Chicago.
Bishop said he felt terrible watching from the sidelines.
“I was more nervous for that game and not playing than I’ve been for any game,” the goalie said of Game 4.
“I thought [Vasilevskiy] did a great job. He did everything he needed to do. I thought he played a great game and we had a chance to win that game.”
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To a man, the Lightning players say they have the utmost confidence in Vasilevskiy, despite the 20-year-old rookie’s lack of playoff experience.
“It doesn’t change anything from our perspective,” Braydon Coburn said of the mystery starter. “Both goalies can play.”
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup starts at 8 p.m. ET. The series is tied 2-2.
from Sportsnet.ca http://bit.ly/1QvOxVu
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