Lightning win Game 4 against Bruins in OT, extend lead in series

BOSTON --Dan Girardi scored 3:18 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 win against the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at TD Garden on Friday.
Alex Killorn skated with the puck along the right wall before sending a backhand pass through the crease that deflected off Bruins forward Brian Gionta's skate and Girardi's stick into the net.

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"I was kind of deep in the zone and I saw they made a good play at the blue line to have control, and I kind of just beat my guy up the ice a little bit, got on the right side of him," Girardi said. "And [Killorn] made a great slice at the net there and just luckily it hit my stick and I was kind of set up in my office in front of the net there."
The Lightning lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 with Game 5 at home on Sunday. Tampa Bay would advance to the Eastern Conference Final with a win.
Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves for Tampa Bay, which has won three straight after losing Game 1.

Patrice Bergeron scored twice, Torey Krug and Brad Marchand each had two assists, and Tuukka Rask made 24 saves for Boston, who trailed 2-0 and led 3-2.
"We battled back," Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. "A lot of heart in this room. We battle all the way back and we feel like we are in a very good position and to see it slip away the way it did, it [stinks]. It's unfortunate really."
Stamkos tied it 3-3 at 12:56 of the third period with a one-timer off a pass from J.T. Miller after Kucherov forced a turnover by McAvoy.
"It's obviously a big goal, but in saying that, we come to the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs to win hockey games," Stamkos said. "Obviously you want to produce in these moments, but there's a reason we've been very successful as a team in the season and so far in the playoffs. It's because we have really good players on our hockey team. It's not about one guy, it's not about one line, it's the depth that makes good hockey teams."

Point gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead at 4:36 of the first period. After intercepting a pass by Bruins forward Rick Nash in the neutral zone, he split two defensemen and scored on his rebound in the crease.
Kucherov extended the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal at 9:53. It was his first point in the series after he had 100 in the regular season.
David Pastrnak made it 2-1 with a power-play goal at 15:28, scoring on a rebound from the left circle after Krug's initial shot from the point was deflected up in the air off Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

Bergeron scored on a give-and-go on the power play at 2:04 of the second period to tie it 2-2. He gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead with a shorthanded goal at 6:36 of the third period, redirecting Marchand's pass.

Goal of the game

Girardi's goal at 3:18 of overtime.

Save of the game

Vasilevskiy's save on Pastrnak 34 seconds into overtime.

Highlight of the game

Stamkos' goal at 12:56 of the third period.

They said it

"It's going to be the hardest game of the series, it always is. And especially against a group like that who's been there before and there's a lot of veteran guys over there. It's good it's at home for us, but at the same time, it's going to be a tough one. The fourth one is always the hardest." -- Lightning forward Ryan Callahan on Game 5
"Desperate hockey. You know we've shown character all year. You know I've spoken about that, about the resilience in this room, so it's time to show it." -- Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron

Need to know

Bruins defenseman Torey Krug left in the third period after sustaining a lower-body injury. He left the arena in a boot and on crutches, according to reports. ... The Lightning are 5-0 in best-of-7 series when they hold a 3-1 lead. ... Tampa Bay's .652 winning percentage in overtime in the playoffs is second in NHL history to the New York Islanders (.673).

What's next

Game 5 of Eastern Conference Second Round at Amalie Arena on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS)