Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was suspended for one postseason game and will miss Game 6 on Thursday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday, per the report. The decision follows a late hit that injured Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling in Game 5, and McNabb will serve the ban when Vegas attempts to eliminate the Ducks and advance to its fourth Western Conference final in the franchise’s nine-year history, the report says.
The suspension stems from a hit on Poehling nine minutes into the first period of Tuesday’s game, according to the report. Because Poehling was hurt on the play, McNabb was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Poehling required assistance from teammates and a trainer after appearing to hit his head on the glass, and his status for the remainder of the series remains unknown, the report says. Vegas went on to win 3-2 in overtime.
The Department of Player Safety noted that Poehling released the puck well before McNabb’s hit, meaning the defender had ‘sufficient time to avoid [contact]’ but instead finished the check with ‘considerable force’ that merited supplemental discipline, per the report. The suspension is the first of McNabb’s 14-year career, the report says.
McNabb’s absence will weaken the Golden Knights’ blue line for Game 6, the report says. He averages almost 21 minutes per game in the postseason and is used against tough matchups at 5-on-5 as well as on the penalty kill. McNabb also leads Vegas’ defenders in hits through the playoffs with 23, according to the report.
On Tuesday, Dylan Coghlan and Ben Hutton, who typically make up the third pairing, filled in for McNabb, per the report. Kaedan Korczak, who had been a healthy scratch in recent outings after appearing in the team’s first eight playoff games, projects to slot into the lineup for Game 6. Puck drop for Game 6 on Thursday is 9:30 p.m. ET, the report says.
