Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals turned out to be what I expected. A battle between an established elite goaltender in King Lundqvist versus the overlooked dominating net-minder in The Bishop.  The Rangers prevailed in an oxymoron - An exciting 2-1 final score. The two goalies generated 51 saves - most of which were heart stopping leather flashers, toe saves, and post to post pad stackers. I am sure nobody in Tampa's locker room is blaming Bishop for today's loss to the Rangers while Lundqvist is getting well deserved accolades from his teammates for leading them to victory over the Lightning.

I am still sticking behind my bold prediction that Tampa Bay prevails in this predicted matchup after taking down the mighty Habs and Carey Price.  Even though the Rangers won the game - Bishop is in now embedded in New York's head. Bishop plays the position much like I play goaltender in a video game - make a heart stopping glove save and then drop it carelessly on the ice to make a break out pass to a streaking forward!

Ben "The" Bishop is displaying the future of the goaltending position. A goaltender doesn't have to smother the puck on every save and give the opposing team a juicy face-off as a reward. Why not look around, drop the puck, and fire it down the ice to create a scoring opportunity while the opposing team is still entrenched in an attacking position behind your blue-line!

[caption id="attachment_7209" align="alignnone" width="227"] The Bishop knows how to use that stick to move the puck as well as stop it.[/caption]

I believe we are watching history in the making. The goaltender is now part of the offensive scheme and strategy. Comparing this new strategy may not be on the same level of the "discovery" of the effectiveness of the forward pass in football. However, it is an exciting idea to consider that goaltenders become the quarterback of the team not just for their defensive ability but their ability to make the break out pass to the likes of Stamkos and Johnson. Yes, fantasy owners will be analyzing a goalie's puck handling ability for their 2015-16 hockey draft especially since an assist from a goaltender is well rewarded.

The stationary King fended off the Lightning advance today but the Bishop's ability to move forward on the frozen chess board will prevail all the way to the Stanley Cup!