Ryan McDonagh’s true feelings on Lightning’s 2-1 series deficit vs. Canadiens

The Tampa Bay Lightning are down in their first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tampa lost in overtime on Friday night thanks to Lane Hutson scoring an overtime winner for Montreal. As a result, Ryan McDonagh and his teammates will need to reflect on themselves over the next few days.

Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point scored on Friday to give Tampa some life. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves on the night, as well. However, they were unable to generate much of anything, mustering just 17 shots on goal.

McDonagh knows what it takes to win in this league. He won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. After Game 3, he spoke about what his team will need to do to rally and defeat the Canadiens in this series.

“We’ve really got to dig deep here and understand what’s at stake. We’ve worked too hard all season to set ourselves up here in the playoffs & it’s on us to control what we can to give ourselves a better percentage of trying to win a game,” the Lightning defenseman said, via The Tampa Bay Times reporter Eduardo A. Encina.

Tampa has fallen in the first round in each of the last three seasons. Given the talent on this roster, this is a massive disappointment. The Lightning have been a model franchise for the better part of a decade. Failing to get out of the first round with this level of talent is something they cannot accept.

The Lightning do not have long to regroup, though. Tampa hits the ice on Sunday for a crucial Game 4 that could have a massive impact on the rest of their playoff run this year.

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