While Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop had a generally strong series, he didn’t even last to the halfway point of Game 4 before being pulled. After that contest, Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban remarked, “I think Bishop sort of was sitting on a horseshoe for a little bit there. He’s played well, but he’s been lucky, as well.”
Subban thought Bishop’s Game 4 struggles would provide Montreal with confidence going forward, but the goalie responded by turning aside 45 of 48 shots over the final two contests of the second round. Tampa Bay still narrowly lost Game 5, but was able to eliminate the Canadiens tonight.
“Thank Goodness for my lucky horseshoe,” Bishop said after Tuesday’s game, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith.
Bishop has let in some shaky goals over the course of the playoffs, but he also has a 1.81 GAA and .931 save percentage in 13 contests. With that in mind, it seems fair to say that he’s been a big part of Tampa Bay’s success thus far. His work is far from over though as Tampa Bay now sets its sights on reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2004.