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Bolts' Ben Bishop out weeks with lower-body injury |
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For a Tampa Bay Lightning team that’s already been decimated with injuries, what’s one more, right?
It’s exactly what the shorthanded Bolts have been dealt, too, as the team has announced that goaltender Ben Bishop will miss the next three to four weeks with a lower-body injury.
Injured in the first period of last night’s 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, Bishop’s injury is his third lower-body injury in the last three years, and two appear to have involved his right leg. Overall, it’s Bishop’s fourth injury in the last four seasons, which is some straight-up terrible luck.
Bishop’s used to battling through the bad luck of injuries -- and bad luck as a whole, for that matter -- as he’s tallied just nine wins and a .907 save percentage in 22 games this season.
The good news for the Lightning is of course that Andrei Vasilevskiy is right behind Bishop on the depth chart, and was dynamite in relief, with stops on all but one of the 23 shots thrown his way. On the year, Vasilevskiy has totaled seven wins and a .924 save percentage in 14 games.
“We have confidence in both our goalies,” Jonathan Drouin said after the win.
The bad news for the Lightning (besides the obvious of taking away one of the club’s viable options in net), is what this could potentially do to Bishop’s trade value if the Bolts try to finagle Bishop into a deal for a top-four defenseman (something Steve Yzerman has been on a desperate pursuit for) by the deadline, or simply move Bishop for something before he walks as a free agent next summer.
The 30-year-old Bishop, acquired from the Senators in 2013, is the Lightning’s all-time leader in wins (124), save percentage (.920), goals against average (2.29), and shutouts (16).
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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