Wednesday, 3 a.m.

So far, the Tampa Bay Lightning has been a dominant hockey team.

Except in Madison Square Gardens.

For the second time in six games, the Lightning took it between the eyes at the hands of the New York Rangers Tuesday night.

This time, it was 4-1. Earlier in the season, it was 5-1. Neither game was particularly close.

Zemgus Girgensons scored his first goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1 late in the first period.

Backup goalie Dylan Garand made 25 saves for the Rangers to snap the Bolts' four-game winning streak.

The Lightning is home against Seattle on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena.

Tuesday, 4 a.m.

The next step for the Tampa Bay Rays started out with a stumble Monday night.

Playing at home, with their ace pitcher on the mound, with an early two-run lead, the Rays lost 7-3 to the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Cleveland had 14 hits, scoring seven runs in their last four at-bats.

Drew Rasmussen, dominant in the second half of the regular season, gave up eight hits in six innings. The Rays' bullpen gave up six more hits and five more runs.

The Rays are home again tonight at 8 against Cleveland. Then the teams go to Cleveland for the next three games, which means the Rays will have to win one on the road to force the series back to the Trop.

"I thought he was outstanding," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "I thought he threw an incredible ball game.

"You gotta give credit to Cleveland's lineup. They really put some pitches on him and some longer at-bats early on. But I felt like after the third or fourth inning, he really settled in. But Ras was awesome."

Freddy Peralta will start for the Rays against Parker Messick.

Peralta will need more support from his offense, which is hitting just .209 in the post-season.

The Rays opened the game with four hits and two runs in the first inning. The Rays managed just three hits and one run in their last eight at-bats.

Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter each had three hits for Cleveland. Yandy Diaz and Jonny DeLuca had two apiece for Tampa Bay.

Junior Caminero and DeLuca each drove in runs in the first. Cedric Mullins homered in the eighth for the Rays' final run,

Sunday, 4 a.m.

For 58 minutes and 44 seconds, it was anybody's game.

Then it was Hagel time.

Lightning forward Brandon Hagel took over the closing minutes of Tampa Bay's 5-3 win Saturday night. Hagel scored twice in the last 1:44, completing a hat-trick in the Bolts' first win on the road of the season over the New York Islanders.

The Lightning improved its record to 4-1.

Hagel broke a 3-3 tie with his second goal of the night. Twenty-one seconds later, he added an empty netter. Hagel now has four goals on the season.

Jake Guentzel had two goals for the Bolts.

Tampa Bay led by two goals twice, at 2-0 and 3-1, but couldn't hold it.

Andrei Vasilevskiy won his third game for the Bolts. He stopped 20 of 23 shots.

The Bolts play at the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at 7:15. at Madison Square Gardens.