Lightning goalie Ben Bishop plays hurt, still shines in Game 3 win

CHICAGO — Goalie Ben Bishop's 36-save performance while playing through an injury in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final wasn't on par with Bobby Baun playing on a broken leg in the 1964 Stanley Cup Final.

It wasn't as dramatic as Willis Reed's inspirational performance in the 1970 NBA Finals or hobbled Kirk Gibson slugging a home run in the 1988 World Series.

But Tampa Bay Lightning fans will undoubtedly remember the night Bishop labored through an unidentified injury to spark Tampa Bay to a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Lightning own a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NHL championship series.

"The kid said, Give me the net,'" Lightning coach Jon Cooper said about his decision to play Bishop who was injured in Game 2.

Playing hurt is an NHL tradition. But it's not usually an accepted practice for goalies because they can critically hurt their team if they can't play at their best.

But we may see more of that behavior because of Bishop's memorable and gutsy performance. Whatever goalie Bishop's undisclosed injury is, it didn't hurt the Lightning. It may have even inspired them to the victory.

"It's going to take a lot not to play in a Stanley Cup Final game," Bishop said.

The Blackhawks know Bishop is hurt, but they don't know the extent or the location of the injury.

"Something is obviously up," Chicago winger Marian Hossa said. "What it is, we just have to take advantage of it."

Hossa said the Blackhawks tried to throw as many shots as they could at Bishop.

"Bishop was huge," said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. "And you need a guy like that in certain situations, when you're not playing at your best. We weathered the storm (in the first period)."

Lightning role player Cedric Paquette won the game with a goal scored with 3:11 left in regulation.

Bishop turned in the kind of performance that will be featured in team history highlight films for years to come.

He looked wounded in the first period, like he was trying to find his rhythm, sometimes slow to regain his positioning. Yet somehow he stopped 18 shots to keep the Lightning in the game.

"He definitely held the fort down for us in the first 15 minutes," Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman said.

It helped that 6-6 Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman had one of his better games of the postseason, recording two assists, three hits and five blocked shots. Cooper called him a "monster" in Game 3.

"We've known how good he is all along," Stamkos said. "Words can't describe the force he was out there."

At one point in the first period, Bishop threw himself out the crease to thwart a scoring chance and was so completely out of the play that Hossa had an empty net to shoot out. The Lightning drew a penalty while inducing Hossa to shoot wide.

Bishop looked so pained in the first period that no one would have been shocked if Cooper replaced him. But Cooper said he never considered taking him out.

Although Bishop was slow to get back on his skates after one save, he said after the game he felt the same throughout the game.
"He looks like he's got some issues," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "But I think we still didn't put enough pucks at the net and traffic, obviously. But certainly later in the game there we made it easier on him.

But Bishop stayed in the game, making seven more saves in the second, including one against Antoine Vermette who broke in all alone.

The Lightning didn't wonder if their goalie was okay.

"You don't second-guess anybody this time of year," Lightning forward Ryan Callahan said. "Everybody wants to play no matter what's going on. He played big tonight."

It was almost as if the Lightning knew they had to give Bishop a breather in the second period as they carried the offensive play.

Bishop was injured in Game 2, and left during the third period of that contest. The Lightning have offered no explanation of his injury. They wouldn't admit Bishop was playing until they had to. Stralman said he just always assumed Bishop would play.

"We have a lot of confidence in him that he will never let us down," Lightning center Tyler Johnson said.

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