Andrei Vasilevskiy to start Game 3 of Eastern Conference Final

Tampa Bay Lightning backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will make his second-straight start and third-career postseason start when the Bolts battle the Pittsburgh Penguins in tonight’s Eastern Conference Final Game 3 at Amalie Arena.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said Vezina Trophy-finalist Ben Bishop will miss his second-consecutive game after going down with a lower-body injury in the first period of Game 1 and being stretchered off the ice. Bishop skated before the Bolts’ optional morning skate Wednesday.

“He’s progressing,” Cooper said. “I think after today’s game, I think now we’re teetering on whether he can be back or not, but there’s obviously no guarantees in that. But he’s making gradual steps every day, and he was going up and down today on the pads. So hopefully, it’s soon.”

Cooper added he’s “hopeful” Bishop can practice with the Lightning on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Steven Stamkos was one of five players including Bishop, Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Drouin and Victor Hedman not at the optional morning session. Stamkos had an off-ice workout Tuesday and a planned day off today. He also will not play in Game 3 according to Cooper, who went on to say everybody else on the roster will be available tonight.

That means Ryan Callahan, who missed Game 2 after coming down with the flu the night before, will be in the lineup and make his 100th career postseason start.

“That was just an unfortunate situation because that kid’s tough as nails,” Cooper said. “He actually had a really good line for me. He was so (mad) because he said, ‘Last year I played a game three days after getting my appendix out, and this year I can’t even fight through the damn flu.’

“I was like, that must have been a bad flu bug. We’ve all – let’s be honest – we’ve …

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