Lightning vs. Penguins: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

In relief of starting goalie Ben Bishop, Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 25 saves, and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 to take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

The Lightning tweeted after the impressive series-opening victory:

Vasilevskiy came in for the veteran Bishop with eight minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the first period after Bishop's left leg buckled while he was scrambling to get into position in his crease. 

The eight-year veteran was stretchered off the ice, and Scott Burnside of ESPN.com detailed the scene:

Robert Morris media relations member Ashley Chase captured a shot of the Lightning players trying to console their goaltender:

Paul Ryan of WFLA in Tampa provided a video of Bishop getting stretchered off the ice:

The 21-year-old Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2012, replaced Bishop at the net. With Vasilevskiy going against Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray, it turned into a battle of young netminders, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Lightning have suffered key injuries throughout their playoff run, with top scorer Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and defenseman Anton Stralman (leg) already out, and Bishop was the latest name to join the list.

Given the magnitude of the game, it was a matter of Vasilevskiy being ready at the right time, as he told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times:

Bishop's unfortunate injury came minutes after Lightning right wing Ryan Callahan sent Penguins defenseman Kris Letang head-first into the boards, which drew a five-minute major penalty.

Letang would not stay in the locker room for long, per Josh Yohe of DK Pittsburgh Sports:

The Penguins couldn't take advantage of the five-minute man advantage and failed to score. Meanwhile, the Lightning struck first in Game 1 with 1:14 remaining in the first frame when Alex Killorn beat Murray on a breakaway, via the NHL:

Tampa Bay went on an offensive surge in the second period and took a two-goal lead 2:33 in. Ondrej Palat scored his third goal of the postseason on the power play, and Jonathan Drouin scored another with 1:35 remaining in the frame to give Tampa Bay a three-goal lead.

Drouin's goal was the end result of a three-on-one rush for the Lightning, via the NHL:

The Penguins got on the board on the power play with less than a minute to go with Patric Hornqvist's sixth goal of the playoffs, via the NHL:

Given what happened to Bishop, this was a landmark victory for the Lightning. On the road, without its starting goaltender, Tampa Bay set the tone early on. Vasilevskiy has played in relief of Bishop before, but now Tampa Bay can rest easy knowing its backup goalie is up for the postseason challenge.

It was a resilient victory that will bode well for the Lightning when they return to Tampa Bay for Game 3.

The Penguins came back from a 1-0 series deficit to beat the Capitals in the conference semifinals. They'll have that experience to fall back on before Game 2 starts Monday.

Postgame Reaction

Killorn knew they would have to pick up the slack in Bishop's absence, per Bryan Burns of the Lightning's official website:

Vasilevskiy knows what it's like to be in net in relief of Bishop, and he'll do what he can to get the Lightning back to the Stanley Cup Final, per Burns:

Letang's injury was at the front of attention for most of the game, but Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin went head first into the glass later on, and his condition will be revealed later.

"I have not spoken with our medical staff about Brian Dumoulin," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said, per the team's Twitter.

Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper was more than impressed with his backup goalie's performance in relief, once again.

"If there's one thing that Vasilevskiy will never be knocked for, it's preparation and work ethic," Cooper said, per Burns.

Cooper also noted tests came back negative on Bishop's leg, per Jenn Menendez of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.