Latvian goalie Kristers Gudlevskis has been recalled to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL for the fourth time this season. The recall has been made as goaltender Ben Bishop will be out of the lineup with an upper body injury.
Bishope was injured in the first period of yesterday’s game between the Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs. An MRI was conducted today to determine the extent of the damage. The MRI showed no structural damage in Bishop’s arm but he will still be out of the lineup for Tampa’s final three games of the season. With only Anders Lindback healthy and on the roster, Tampa was forced to call up another goalie and choose Gudlevskis.
As per head coach, John Cooper its still unclear when Bishop might return. Cooper did not rule out Bishop being available for the first round of the playoffs “at some point.” He said the team will know more when Bishop is reevaluated after the next fiver or six days. He also stated that Kristers Gudlevskis is the goalie who has recieved the call from Steve Yzerman and is ready to jump into the action.
The new Latvian star has made huge name for himself this season. The 21-year-old moved from Russian Junior league to KHL and then to the ECHL and AHL in just over one year. If he gets game action, he would become the first goalie to play in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and Olympics in the same season? That really should happen, youngster has proved himself many times already, with five shutouts, winning 18 games in 34 starts and with a 2.68 GAA and .901 save percentage. He is also famous for his performance in the Latvia/Canada quarterfinal matchup at the Sochi Olympics, where he put on a one-man show for his team. That night Gudlevskis made 52 saves and allowed just two goals. It may have been Canada’s toughest game in the entire Olympic tournament.
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