Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevsky played well in Game 4 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks despite ultimately coming out on the losing end.
Vasilevsky, just 20 years old, made 17 saves on 19 Chicago shots and certainly gave the Lightning more than enough of a chance to emerge victorious.
"Just a little bit maybe," said of whether he was nervous prior to the 2-1 Game 4 loss, via Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. "But I can play under pressure. For me, it's not something new. I was ready for pressure from fans and players."
While Vasilevsky seemed very ready for the spotlight and performed admirably considering he's appeared in all of 16 NHL games and the last time he suited up was March 31 in a regular season matchup against the Maple Leafs, the Lightning would likely feel much more comfortable with normal starter Ben Bishop between the pipes for the remainder of what has now essentially become a best-of-three series against the Blackhawks.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, when questioned as to whether Bishop would backstop Tampa in Game 5 on Saturdaying, remained non-committal, but was firm that he would play again at some point.
"Gosh, I wish I could give you an answer to that," said Cooper. "Bish is going to play again in this series, there's no question. I just don't know which game."
Bishop will have had four days to rest if he does indeed reassume his starting spot in Game 5 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. In 23 games this postseason, Bishop has a 2.19 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. He's come up big for the team in important moments and he battled through the injury which cost him Game 4 throughtout the entirety of Game 3.
Cooper, who maintained that the Bolts didn't know Bishop wasn't going to be able to go in Game 4 despite the outward appearance of a bit of gamesmanship, said that he and the entire Tampa team had complete faith that Vasilevsky would be able to get the job done.
"We had full confidence, and Vassy played great. He made big saves. He gave us a chance. You give up two goals on the road, you have a chance to win."
Despite Vasilevsky's positive showing, it sure sounds like Bishop's status could end up being a pivotal point for the Lightning during the remainder of the finals.
