Lightning goalie Ben Bishop faces defining Game 6 vs. Canadiens

“The most important person for the Lightning's success tonight in a pretty-close-to-a-must-win Game 6 against the Canadiens is not goalie Ben Bishop or leading scorer Steven Stamkos or top defenseman Victor Hedman. In fact, he doesn't wear skates or sit on a bench. He wears a suit and stands behind it. This is Jon Cooper's time.” – Tom Jones, Tampa Times

Nah, it’s still on Bishop.

I’m all for a coach being held accountable when his team is in the midst of an historic meltdown in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it was Bishop’s performance – such as it was – in Game 4 that sent this snowball down the hill, and Game 6 is where he atones for it.

Bishop stopped 100 of 104 shots in the first three games of the series, for a .961 save percentage. The Lightning were 8-0 against the Habs this season through Game 3 including the regular season, when Bishop was 5-0-0 with a .933 save percentage against them.

For his regular-season career, Bishop is 10-1-2 against the Habs with a .941 save percentage – his best numbers against any team save perhaps for the Detroit Red Wings (7-2-0, .936 save percentage), whom Bishop beat in the first round.

He wasn’t perfect against the Wings. His numbers were good, not great, and there was a jittery nature to his game that led to some nervous moments.

But in the first three games of this series? He crushed it.

Until Game 4.

Three goals on 14 shots, a .786 save percentage. Pulled after 25 minutes, with Montreal rolling to a 6-2 win on the Bolts’ home ice.

“I think Bishop sort of was sitting on a horseshoe for a little bit there,” mocked P.K. Subban after Game 5. “He’s played well, but he’s been lucky as well. I think seeing him pulled out of the net is a confidence booster for our team.”

He played better in Bell Centre, but was there anyone that thought Tampa was not coming back to Amalie Arena for Game 6 after Montreal found new life in Game 5? They were playing with house money.

"We're playing with confidence," coach Michel Therrien said in French on Tuesday morning, via ESPN.com. "That confidence comes from the way in which you’re playing. ... It’s been our philosophy since we were down 0-3. We started Game 4 wanting to bring the series back to the Bell Centre. Then we played at the Bell Centre and wanted to bring it back to Tampa. Now we want to force a Game 7."

Now Bishop’s back home, where he was 27-6-1 this season with a .925 save percentage. (It was only .904 on the road.) Ryan Callahan’s out with that emergency appendectomy. The Canadiens have all the momentum and Carey Price in beast mode. Things are looking dim for the Bolts.

Which is when you need your goalie to play the game of his series.

Bishop hasn’t lost three straight appearances since early December. Drop Game 6, and it’s hard to imagine he won’t lose four in a row. Unless he’s not the one starting Game 7.

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