Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Lightning came into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals with all of the momentum. They just put six goals on Henrik Lundqvist, quite possibly the best goalie in the NHL, two games in a row. They looked like their offense was going to be no match for the style the New York Rangers. They were too fast. They had too many scoring options. The Lightning were just too much for the Rangers.
In one game, all of that went away. Ben Bishop was absolutely owned in Game 4 of this series. At one point, Bishop allowed 25 percent of shots in the net. No team is going to win when the goalie is playing like that. The game ended with Bishop stopping 19 of 24 shots. This was the worst performance of the year for Bishop (outside of maybe allowing three goals in 13 minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins).
This is the fear with Bishop. No matter the firepower that players like Steven Stamkos and the Triplets bring, if Bishop cannot stop the goals on the other side then the Lightning have no chance of winning.
Every big name of the Rangers scored a goal. The score sheet has the names of Rick Nash (twice), Martin St. Louis, Chris Kreider and Keith Yandle. Everyone on that list outside of Kreider has been struggling all postseason. Now that they have broken the ice in this series, that could spell trouble for Bishop and the Lightning.
The last time Bishop was exposed in the playoffs was Game 4 of the Montreal Canadiens series. He gave up three goals in just over 25 minutes that night.
The Lightning cannot afford a losing performance in their next game. If they go down 3-2 in the series, it could be all but over. The Lightning would then have no choice but to beat Lundqvist in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, a situation in which he has never lost.
Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
