from Chris Gordon of the New York Times,

Two star goaltenders were here Monday night for Game 2 of the N.H.L.’s Eastern Conference finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins. But one sat on the bench while the other watched from the press box.

A matchup between these two teams would normally have pitted Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop, 29, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the N.H.L.’s top regular-season goalie, against Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, 31, who in 2009 helped lead the Penguins to a Stanley Cup.

Instead, their 21-year-old understudies, the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Penguins’ Matt Murray, are on the ice in the make-or-break postseason.

The question is whether the two young goalies will continue to dominate the series or the veterans will make a comeback.

Vasilevskiy was called into action midway through the first period of Game 1 on Friday after Bishop fell awkwardly and was carted off on a stretcher. On Tuesday, Lightning Coach Jon Cooper said he was optimistic that Bishop would return to the series at some point, though Bishop had not skated with the team or taken shots since his injury.

If Murray falters, Fleury could be back in the net. Sidelined after a concussion late in the regular season, Fleury was cleared to resume playing two weeks ago. But Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan has stuck with Murray for 11 straight playoff games.

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