Ben Bishop's return shows just how much Lightning missed him
TAMPA, Fla. -- Ben Bishop was smiling in the dressing room, a comfortable routine part of his life again.
The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender, the most important face of any effort by his team to turn a good season into a great one that extends deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, was back to his usual self after he helped dispatch the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at Amalie Arena following a four-game absence because of a lower-body injury. Balance had returned to his franchise's world.
The Lightning feel more complete with Bishop smiling near his stall, his pads removed and sweat fresh after another victory. They learned his value when a painful left elbow injury kept him out of the playoffs last season, when Tampa Bay lost in a four-game sweep to the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, a result that likely would have been different with big No. 30 healthy.
When Bishop is happy, the Lightning are the same.
"The extra rest doesn't hurt," Bishop said after the 2-1 victory over Carolina.
His brief absence, made possible by an injury sustained Dec. 15 in the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins, was nowhere near as damaging as the void left without him near the end of last season. The Lightning went 2-2 in games from Dec. 16-23. They received a constructive look at young goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, presumed to be a key presence of Tampa Bay's future.
But the present is the Lightning's main concern, and they should never want to walk the season's tight rope without Bishop close by. No one on their roster -- not even Steven Stamkos -- has as much ability to determine whether they sink or swim in the standings throughout the upcoming months than their top goaltender.
"He's a presence in the net, and I'm sure teams have come in here and are probably thinking they've got to pick a corner a little bit better than normal because of his size in the net," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He's in control back there. ... He gives us a lot of confidence when he's on the ice. So it's really good to have him back."
Bishop has earned the same psychological power as an effective major-league closer or a lockdown cornerback in the NFL. His presence is a proverbial brick wall for many foes, both mentally and physically, an achievement gained from commanding respect over time.
Saturday, Bishop improved to 17-6-2 this season with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. His mastery of the Hurricanes continued with 25 saves, after he entered boasting a sterling 4-0-0 record against them with a 1.24 goals-against average and a .968 save percentage.
It's not hyperbole to say Bishop has become a 6-foot-7, 214-pound security blanket for the Lightning since his arrival from the Ottawa Senators in an April 2013 trade. More often than not, they're in command when he plays.
Most times, tricky saves are made. Most times, no soft goals are allowed. Most times, Tampa Bay's margin of error is larger.
"Not playing, I was able to get some rest," Bishop said Saturday. "I hadn't played in two weeks. I felt like I had an offseason. To get out there, I kind of had the chills again. It was a lot of fun to be back out there again. ... When you go out there like tonight, when you haven't played awhile, you just try to keep it simple and kind of restart the system there. I don't think it hurt having that little break."
Did he feel like he needed rest?
"Personally, no," he added. "I don't like missing games. You want to play every game. That's why you play the game. Like I said, it doesn't hurt having that little rest I had. But at the same time, I much would rather have been in there playing games and trying to get wins."
That answer is predictable, but the rest can't be overlooked as a side benefit of Bishop's injury. Even with the recent absence, only nine other goaltenders in the NHL have more than his 27 games played.
Clearly, straddling the desire to use Bishop to his full capacity and allowing him opportunities for preservation is difficult. Each answer to the puzzle is subjective. He's Tampa Bay's top choice in net for a reason, and veteran Evgeni Nabokov -- with a 3-4-2 record this season and a 2.84 goals-against average -- represents a significant drop in confidence and ability.
So how, exactly, is "too much" defined?
Still, Bishop can't be running on fumes in April and possibly beyond. The Lightning are no strangers to understanding their situation without him, and though they escaped this most recent injury mostly unscathed, they shouldn't want to tempt fate much more.
"It's tough when a guy like that goes down -- not only for the team but for him, too," Lightning winger Ryan Callahan said. "He was having such a good season. He didn't miss a beat. Right back in there, and he came up with some big saves when we needed them."
Big Ben played to his expected form in his return. On Saturday, all was well, all was right.
Maintaining the balance should be the Lightning's resolution in the year to come.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
