PITTSBURGH -- Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop said the leg injury he suffered in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals was the scariest moment of his career.
Bishop, 29, suffered the injury with 7:35 remaining in the first period of Tampa's 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and was carted off on a stretcher. On Sunday, he spoke about the incident and said he thought he had broken his leg.
"It was a scary experience," he said. "You saw the play, I fell back and felt something I've never felt before, pain right away. Your mind starts racing and you start thinking the worst thing. I'm thinking my leg is broken. Your mind just starts spinning. I was really scared."
He had X-rays and an MRI; results came back negative, showing no structural damage. He was not limping and actually tested it on the ice early Sunday. His status remains day-to-day and he did not rule out a return for Game 2 on Monday at Consol Energy Center.
"Yeah, absolutely," he said. "Just taking it day-by-day right now. It feels better than it did yesterday. It's just a matter of getting it to where it feels good enough to get out there and help the team win."
"Haven't ruled him out," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Day-to-day. Nothing has changed there, but he's getting better with each day, and it's encouraging to say."
Bishop was also impressed with the performance by backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who finished with 25 saves in Game 1.
"He's a great goalie and a fun guy to work with on and off the ice," Bishop said. "Personally, I know he can go in there and do the job. He's a young guy but he's got a lot of experience. He got to play in a Stanley Cup final game last year and played really well, and he's played well all season. ... We have full confidence in him. He's a great young goalie and has a bright future in this league."
Bishop was able to smile, saying he's thankful it's not as bad as it first looked Friday.
"It was one of the scariest things that has happened to me," Bishop said.
Also Sunday, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos wore a regular jersey during practice and participated in all the drills, but is still not cleared for contact. He had surgery to remove a blood clot near his collarbone on April 4 and has not played since.