Vasilevskiy ready to step up if Bishop out long term
Andrei Vasilevskiy is ready to take the reins for as long as needed.
That was the clear message he relayed following Tuesday's win over the Detroit Red Wings in which he was pressed into relief after Ben Bishop left with a lower-body injury.
#tblightning Andrei Vasilevskiy on if he's ready to step in if Bishop out a while. "That's why I'm here."
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) December 21, 2016
Related: Lightning's Bishop to be evaluated further following injury
This is not the first time Vasilevskiy has been called upon in Bishop's absence. The 22-year-old appeared in all seven Eastern Conference Final games against the Pittsburgh Penguins last season after Bishop was hurt in Game 1, posting a .923 save percentage in a series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
This season, Vasilevskiy has appeared in 13 games, posting a record of 6-4-1 with a .921 save percentage.
Bishop will be further evaluated and the hope is the injury is short term in nature, but there won't be a steep drop off if Vasilevskiy has to run with the starting job in the interim.