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Ben Bishop set to make preseason debut

Ben Bishop

Ben Bishop

AP

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, who sustained a torn groin muscle in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, will play in his first game of the 2015 preseason tonight.

“Naturally you want to see where he’s at,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, per NHL.com. “He’s had a pretty good camp. But it’s a slow process here with our regulars. This is when these guys start coming in to play a little bit more. [Bishop’s] minutes will start picking up from here on in. Tonight’s the first step. Get his feet wet here at home.”

Bishop missed one contest in Tampa Bay’s six-game series against the Chicago Blackhawks due to the injury. After having the summer to heal, he’s been able to fully participate in the team’s practice drills. He thinks it will take an exhibition game or two in order to get his timing back and feel comfortable.

He’ll only play in half of Friday’s game as Kristers Gudlevskis will also see time between the pipes. With Andrei Vasilevskiy (blood clot) sidelined, Gudlevskis has an opportunity to make the team as Bishop’s understudy.