"It's tough for teams to play against because he's another defenseman … he gets pucks moving up the ice when opponents] are forechecking," Stars forward Andrew Cogliano said. "For players trying to create pressure and turn over pucks, it makes things really difficult because he adds another guy back there.
"I've talked to guys even in Nashville after the first series and they said they thought it was a big advantage for us having him playing the puck. Him and his confidence in the nets helps stop pucks as big he is. He's the guy we need."
As solid a backup as Khudobin is, it's hard to replace Bishop, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender along with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Robin Lehner of the New York Islanders.
"Whenever you see your goalie like him down, it's a concern," Cogliano said. "I didn't really know what happened. But he's a major part of why we're here in the first place. And he's a goalie that when he's in the net, your team plays more confident in front of him. He plays the puck. He's big. He swallows up rebounds. He's a Vezina candidate for a reason.
"He's the guy we need in there for a game like this."
Bishop, who grew up in St. Louis, said he's been swamped with texts from friends and family in anticipation of Game 7.
"I guess it's neat," Bishop said when asked about playing a do-or-die game in the city where he cheered for the Blues as a kid. "But once the game starts and what not, you're not thinking about anything like that. It's all business. Once the game starts, you're not thinking about where you are or who you're playing. It's just going out there and doing your thing."
For much of 2018-19 Bishop has done his thing as well as any goalie in the NHL. His teammates and the entire Stars fanbase hope he can replicate that on Tuesday.
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