At 1:49 into tonight’s game at the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop went down due to an accidental skate boot hit by teammate Nikita Kucherov in the back of his. He had left his net to play the puck, making a sprawling save near the left faceoff dot, and Kucherov jumped over him to try to avoid him as he slid along the ice. Bishop was eventually able to leave the ice on his own power, but did not return to the game. Anders Lindback took his place in the game at that time as when Bishop left the ice, he went directly to the dressing room.
More to come as news about the situation becomes available.
UPDATE: Ben Bishop will not return to the game.
UPDATE 2: TBO/Tampa Tribune beat writer Erik Erlendsson tweeted out post-game in Ottawa a relieving update on Bishop’s status:
Bishop said he felt weak after the hit, but feels much better now, no dizziness but has a slight headache, said he passed concussion test
— Erik Erlendsson (@erlendssonTBO) January 31, 2014
We’ll know Bishop’s status in the morning, but right now we can just hope that he is cleared for play.
