After a typical run of secrecy, Ben Bishop will be the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Game 5 starter.
We still don’t know what, exactly, is ailing the 28-year-old. Many believe he’s ailing on his left side. We are unlikely to find out for sure until after the Stanley Cup is raised. Andrei Vasilevskiy is available to step in if Bishop cannot finish Game 5, though.
Bishop was apparently the one to make the call to miss Game 4, as agonizing as that decision was.
He remarkably won Game 3 despite his limited mobility, stopping 36 out of 38 shots by the Blackhawks in an impressive showing of resiliency.
In warmups, Bishop does look like he's getting back up to his feet more easily than in Game 3..
— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) June 13, 2015
Overall, he has a .919 save percentage in the playoffs and has especially impressed as the games have gotten bigger. (In all three instances in which Tampa Bay eliminated an opponent in this posteason, Bishop notched a shutout).
Here’s a (subjective) side-by-side comparison of the two:
Which goalie will be in net tonight? #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/3JrNW7xFzR
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 13, 2015
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In other lineup notes, Jonathan Drouin draws back into the mix, sending Nikita Nesterov to the press box. The Lightning return to a typical skating setup after multiple games rolling with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Oh, and here are the officials:
The referees for Game 5 are Wes McCauley (#4) & Kevin Pollock (#33). The linesmen are Derek Amell (#75) & Brian Murphy (#93). #StanleyCup
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 13, 2015