Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop Injury Less Serious Than Originally Thought

Good news for the Tampa Bay Lightning was on the horizon today as the injury to Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop was much less serious than originally believed.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and their fans went into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final with a fire in their souls and ready to take on any challenge the Pittsburgh Penguins could present to them. Unfortunately, what they didn’t know is that one of their most integral players was going to be taken out in the latter part of the first period. Not only was said player injured, but he would have to be stretchered off of the ice.

There was a mere 7:35 left in the first period when Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop was attempting to play the puck behind the net when he was jarred by Penguins left wing Conor Sheary. After the contact, Bishop made his way back around the net and into the crease. Unfortunately, this is where things went from bad to worse for the six-foot-seven-inch tall netminder.

Ben Bishop was stretched out in an attempt to block a shot and when he was hit in the back of the knee by the stick of Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist. As Hornqvist’s stick went up Bishop came crashing down. Unfortunately, Bishop landed quite awkwardly and was in more than a little bit of pain.

As Bishop laid on the ice in a considerable amount of pain. Tampa Bay Lightning Head Athletic Trainer Tom Mulligan would come out on the ice along with one of the team doctors. Unfortunately, there was no way Bishop was going to make it off the ice under his own power. As the stretcher came out, Tampa Bay Lightning fans started to panic as the player who was generally considered the rock of the team may not be able to return.

It would be announced that Ben Bishop had been taken to a local hospital for evaluation, but for the remainder of the game, there would be no update on his condition. Needless to say, there were many fans in the Bolts Nation who started to think the worst. As most of you know, Ben Bishop played a good part of the postseason last year with a torn groin. If he could play with that, but couldn’t get up from this, certainly it had to be something really bad.

After the game, it was announced that all of Bishop’s x-rays had come back negative. This was definitely good news. Unfortunately, what was not announced was the actual condition of Ben Bishop, the extent of his injuries, or when he would be able to return to the ice.

Thankfully, Tampa Bay Lightning fans can breathe a deep breath of relief today. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced that Bishop’s injuries were far less severe than initially anticipated and he is currently listed as day-to-day.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean Bishop will be ready to take the ice with his teammates on Monday at the Consol Energy Center for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final. In fact, even if Ben Bishop is healthy enough to return to the lineup, we would expect the team would sit him for one additional game just to ensure he’s one hundred percent. Then, Bishop could rejoin the team when they make their way home for Game 3.

Next: Ryan Callahan Will Not Face Supplemental Discipline

The good news here is most fans here in the Bolts Nation, as well as the players themselves, have full faith in the skills of Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. No matter what happens, the Tampa Bay Lightning will head into Game 2 with the same passion they had in Game 1. The Lightning’s will to win is incredibly strong and it’ll take a lot more than some flightless birds to shut us down.