Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Available for Thursday's matchup
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McDonagh (face) will be available for Thursday's game against the Ducks, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
McDonagh exited Tuesday's game against the Bruins after taking a puck to the face, but he won't be forced to miss additional time due to the issue. Over eight appearances this month, he's logged four assists, 15 blocked shots, four hits and two PIM while averaging 20:15 of ice time.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Injured in Tuesday's contest
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McDonagh took a puck to the face and didn't finish Tuesday's game versus the Bruins, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.
McDonagh ended up with 14:38 of ice time prior to his exit. The 35-year-old's status was not updated after the contest. If McDonagh can't play Thursday against the Ducks, the Lightning will likely need to make a roster move for a defenseman.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Provides helper in win
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McDonagh logged an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.
McDonagh has four helpers over his last three contests. The 35-year-old defenseman typically doesn't produce offense that consistently -- this is his longest streak of the season and likely won't last much longer. Overall, he has 14 points, 43 shots on net, 82 blocked shots and a plus-22 rating while filling a top-four role as a shutdown defender.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Two assists help to reach milestone
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McDonagh logged a pair of assists, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Bruins.
McDonagh helped out on second-period tallies by Anthony Cirelli (shorthanded) and Michael Eyssimont (even strength). The first assist was McDonagh's 400th career point, a mark he achieved in Game No. 967. He ended a five-game slump Thursday, though point production may remain sporadic for the stay-at-home defender. The 35-year-old has a goal, 11 helpers, two shorthanded points, 40 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and a plus-19 rating over 39 appearances this season. If McDonagh can stay healthy, he's projected to reach the 1,000-game mark late in the campaign.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: First goal of season comes on PK
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McDonagh scored a shorthanded goal on two shots and blocked four shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.
McDonagh's goal was his first of the season and his first shortie since the 2016-17 campaign. The 35-year-old blueliner snapped a seven-game point drought with the tally. He's been a defensive stalwart with a little supporting offense, earning 10 points, 33 shots on net, 67 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating over 33 appearances in 2024-25.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Secures assist in win
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McDonagh notched an assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Canucks.
Most of the offense came from the top line, but McDonagh was able to snag a secondary helper on Nikita Kucherov's second-period tally. With three assists over his last two games, McDonagh has started December well, though the burst of offense is likely to fizzle out just as quickly as it started. He's at nine helpers, 22 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 25 appearances, so his biggest source of fantasy value comes from his steady defensive work.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: First multi-pointer of season
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McDonagh picked up two assists in an 8-1 victory over the Sharks on Thursday.
He finished the game with a plus-3 rating and three blocks, and it was his first multi-point game of the season. McDonagh had gone without a point in six straight appearances before Thursday, but he's not on this team to score. He's expected to stabilize the back end and shut down the top lines of opponents. McDonagh has no goals, eight assists and 47 blocks over 24 games this season. Barring injury, he'll play the 1,000th game of his career in the new calendar year, but his fantasy impact is limited.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Logs assist in win
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McDonagh notched an assist, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Jets.
McDonagh snapped a three-game dry spell when he helped out on a Jake Guentzel tally in the first period. The 35-year-old McDonagh is up to five helpers in 15 contests, and he's added 31 blocked shots, 14 shots on goal and a plus-11 rating. He's a defensive specialist who can chip in some extra offense, so he may have viability in deeper fantasy formats.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Helpers in back-to-back games
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McDonagh logged an assist in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
McDonagh has a helper in consecutive contests, the first time in 2024-25 he's found the scoresheet in back-to-back games. The 35-year-old defenseman is up to four assists through 11 outings this season. He's also recorded 25 blocked shots, nine shots on net and a plus-9 rating as a shutdown blueliner on the second pairing.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Pockets assist
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McDonagh notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
McDonagh snapped a five-game point drought with the secondary helper on the first of Jake Guentzel's two goals in the game. As usual, McDonagh is filling a shutdown role on the second pairing. He has three helpers, nine shots on net, a plus-10 rating and 24 blocked shots through 10 outings this season. He can help fantasy managers in formats that prioritize defense, but he's a fringe option in most other leagues.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Contributes helper Tuesday
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McDonagh registered an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.
McDonagh has taken on a second-pairing role in his second stint with the Lightning, but the power-play time he saw last year with Nashville has disappeared. The 35-year-old defenseman's 32 points in 74 regular-season outings in 2023-24 represented his best production in five years. For 2024-25, he may be an option in formats that count blocked shots, but he's unlikely to move the needle much in other categories.
McDonagh was traded to the Lightning from the Predators along with a 2024 fourth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 second-round selection and 2024 seventh-round pick Tuesday.
McDonagh spent five seasons with the Lightning during his previous stint, logging 267 regular-season games for the club while lifting Lord Stanley's Cup twice during his stay. McDonagh figures to slot into a third pairing for the Lightning. With the acquisition of McDonagh, Tampa Bay is unlikely to re-sign Matt Dumba or Calvin de Haan.
McDonagh produced an assist in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canucks in Game 4.
The helper was McDonagh's first point in four playoff contests. The 34-year-old has added eight hits, 10 blocked shots, four shots on net and an even plus-minus rating while playing primarily in a top-four role. McDonagh had 32 points over 74 regular-season outings, his best production since 2018-19, but it hasn't carried over to the postseason, and time may be running out for him to find it again with the Predators down 3-1 in their first-round series.
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Predators' Ryan McDonagh: Suiting up Saturday
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McDonagh (rest) will be back in the lineup Saturday versus the Blue Jackets, Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site reports.
McDonagh will skate alongside Roman Josi after getting Friday's 5-1 win over Chicago off for rest. The 34-year-old McDonagh has three goals, 29 points, 88 shots on net and 137 blocked shots in 72 contests this campaign.
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Predators' Ryan McDonagh: Sitting Friday
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McDonagh will rest Friday against Chicago, Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site reports.
McDonagh and Gustav Nyquist will get a breather during Nashville's back-to-back set in an attempt to stay fresh for the postseason. McDonagh has three goals and 29 points in 72 games this season, but he's been held to one assist over his last 10 appearances. He's expected to suit up Saturday against Columbus.
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Predators' Ryan McDonagh: Picks up helper in win
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McDonagh produced an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Blues.
McDonagh snapped a six-game point drought when he helped out on Filip Forsberg's empty-netter in the third period. After starting the year relatively quiet, McDonagh has been a surprising source of offense since the All-Star break, earning 17 of his 29 points this year in that 25-game span. He's also contributed 82 shots on net, 131 blocked shots and a plus-20 rating through 69 contests overall.
