Dan Girardi tipped in the game-winning goal 3:18 into overtime as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their NHL second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series on Friday night.
Girardi’s decisive tally first went off Brian Gionta’s skate before it was directed past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask off a feed from Alex Killorn from the right circle. Rask (24 saves) dropped to 10-9 lifetime in overtime playoff games. Nikita Kucherov (6th playoff goal), Steven Stamkos (3) and Brayden Point (3) also scored for the Lightning, who have won three straight after a 4-1 victory in Game 3 Wednesday and a 4-2 victory in Game 2.
Patrice Bergeron (6) had two goals and David Pastrnak (6) added another for Boston, which has been outscored 12-6 since a 6-2 win in the series opener. Game 5 is today in Tampa, Fla.
Boston lost defenseman Torey Krug to an apparent left leg injury after his ankle appeared to buckle against the boards on a hit late in the third period. Krug skated off the ice gingerly before being helped down the tunnel.
Tampa Bay scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the game. Point split two defenders and put in his own rebound off Rask’s pads less than five minutes in. Kucherov made it 2-0 with his NHL-leading 27th playoff goal since 2015 on a one-timer from the right circle on a Lightning power play at 9:53.
Pastrnak cut the Bruins’ deficit to 2-1 with 4:32 left in the opening period, batting in a popped-up rebound that flew right to him in the left circle. Bergeron converted a well-executed give-and-go with Krug behind the net to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy (29 saves) and tie the game at 2 only 2:04 into the second.
Bergeron’s tip-in off a pass from Brad Marchand in the slot gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead with 13:24 left in the third, but Stamkos had the game tied again after powering his one-timer past Rask with 7:04 remaining.

Golden Knights top Sharks to grab lead
Marc-Andre Fleury had 27 saves and Alex Tuch scored two goals to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the NHL Western Conference playoffs on Friday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and an assist and James Neal and Erik Haula also scored goals for Vegas, which took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Golden Knights can advance to the Western Conference finals with a victory in Game 6 on Sunday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. It was Fleury’s 69th career playoff victory, moving him past Andy Moog into 10th place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
David Perron added two assists for the Golden Knights, who improved to 33-11-2 on home ice in its inaugural season.
Tomas Hertl and Mikkel Boedker each had a goal and an assist, Logan Couture had three assists and Kevin Labanc scored his first career playoff goal for San Jose.
Martin Jones had 27 saves for the Sharks before being pulled in favor of Aaron Dell after allowing his fourth goal with 11:24 to go.
Dell finished with seven saves. Jones picked up where he left off in the first period, stopping 14 shots.