Three Stars: Hedman a stud as Lightning advance
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The Tampa Bay Lightning made the most of their Sunday afternoon, eliminating the New York Islanders with a Game 5 win in the day’s only game.
Here's who stood out to us.
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Bishop, Hedman send Lightning past Islanders in Game 5
Drew Doughty set the table for Norris Trophy contention with his work in the postseason. Looks like Hedman is about to do the same. Tampa Bay’s blue line workhorse was the MVP of Sunday’s 4-0 win over the Isles, scoring a pair of goals and playing a nearly perfect game of defense, other than that little miscue with the puck that almost spoiled Bishop's shutout in the second period. The effort capped off a series in which he scored four goals and eight points and shut down John Tavares, New York's offensive catalyst and the only player drafted ahead of Hedman in the 2009 draft.
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning
Big Game Ben was at it again. For the second consecutive series, and the fourth time in Tampa's past six series, Bishop pitched a shutout to eliminate an opponent. This time it took just 28 shots to blank the overmatched Islanders, but Bishop never gave them a sniff. He played big, moved effortlessly and was flawless in his rebound control.
#http://www.120sports.com/video/v177010096/bolts-advance-after-shutout
Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning
There's a reason you never hear any grumbling about Callahan's $6.4 million salary this time of year. When the games matter most, the veteran knows how to make his presence felt. On Sunday, it was with his relentless physical presence. He drove the Isles to distraction with team-high seven hits, including a filling rattler on Nick Leddy in the third that put an exclamation mark on Tampa Bay’s domination of New York.