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Stanley Cup 2015: What happened to Ben Bishop?

By Josh Hill

Jun 6, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) before game two of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 6, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) before game two of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 2 of the Stanley Cup, but everyone is wondering why netminder Ben Bishop had to leave the game early. 

UPDATE #1 [10:24pm ET] — Lightning players have no idea what happened to Bishop and he was unavailable for comment to the press after the game.

UPDATE #2 [10:26pm ET] — Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper refused to address the situation in net, and avoided commenting on Ben Bishop’s status.

UPDATE #3 [10:35pm ET] — Speculation is that Ben Bishop suffered a knee injury, but the team is saying the goalie should be fine for Game 3.

UPDATE #4 [6:01pm ET] — The Lightning aren’t telling the media who is starting in Game 3, but the belief is that Bishop will be available if needed.

When the Tampa Bay Lightning were closing out Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, evening the series 1-1 as things head to Chicago next week, one important player wasn’t on the ice. Goalie Ben Bishop had a rough night, but he will get credited with the win after the Bolts down the Blackhawks 4-3, but his health is all anyone is concerned about after the win.

Bishop abruptly left the contest with minutes left on the clock in a one-score game. His replacement, Andrei Vasilevskiy, played nearly ten minutes in Game 2 and was the man in net to defend shots from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews with time running out.

He didn’t let a single puck past him, which may be notable in that he’ll be replacing Bishop moving forward. That very well could be the reality as Bishop’s mysterious exit from Game 2 is concerning to Lightning fans everywhere.

We saw what injuries can do to teams in the NHL Playoffs and losing someone as vital as Bishop this early on in the Stanley Cup and this late in a title run is brutal for Tampa Bay. That may not be the case, as he could just have been taken out for precautionary reasons, but the fact that he left with critical time on the clock in a massive spot for him is not encouraging.

Whatever happens with Bishop, the Lightning need to find goaltending that they can rely on, and the ten minute sample size from Andrei Vasilevskiy is positive but still unnerving thanks to the concern about Bishop.

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