Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb had to leave Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final in a scary scene on Thursday.
Midway through the first period of Vegas’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes, McNabb was hit right in the face with an 87 mph slap shot from Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
Play immediately stopped once McNabb was struck, with players from both teams putting their hands up to alert the injury to the referees.
McNabb, 35, then rushed to the locker room with his hand over his mouth and nose and was later taken to the hospital, ESPN reported.
Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon shifted up to take McNabb’s spot alongside Shea Theodore on Las Vegas’ top pairing.
“It’s a scary play,’ forward Brett Howden said after the loss. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing OK.”
McNabb did not return, and Vegas went the rest of the way with just five defensemen.
“You lose a guy like Nabber who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough,” captain Mark Stone said. “They battled as hard as they could.”
Coach John Tortorella said “they played well” and had no update when asked about McNabb’s condition after the Hurricanes’ overtime victory that tied the series.
McNabb proved to be a difference maker during Game 1, having his first career three-assist effort to help the Golden Knights beat Carolina 5-4 on Tuesday.
He has 33 blocked shots in the playoffs after leading the Golden Knights with 142 blocks in 63 games during the regular season.
The veteran defenseman also ranks first in Golden Knights history in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469).
With Las Vegas now just three wins away from a Stanley Cup, head coach John Tortorella said his team’s willingness to stick together was its greatest strength during the playoff run.
“I think that’s the biggest attribute I’ve seen with this team in the short time I’ve been with them is they stay together,” Tortorella said. “They don’t break apart and I think that gets you through some situations. We’re playing against a very good team.
“We’re going to have things happen to us tomorrow. But we’re going to have to stick together to try and find a way.”
— with AP
