Brayden McNabb's mcnabb injury left the Vegas Golden Knights waiting on his status for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday. He exited Game 2 at 10:52 of the first period after taking a puck to the face and did not return, and Vegas now faces a tied series without knowing whether one of its top defensemen can go.
McNabb Leaves Game 2
McNabb was struck by a slap shot from Nikolaj Ehlers while he was in front of the Golden Knights net in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. He quickly headed to the locker room with his hand over his mouth and nose.
He traveled back to Las Vegas with his teammates on Friday. On Saturday, John Tortorella said there was no update at the team's practice facility. Asked about the defensive group, he said, "No update," and added, "'Lozy' (Jeremy Lauzon) was out (previously), 'Nabber' (McNabb) was out for most of the game the last game. We feel very comfortable with our (defensemen)," before saying, "'Cogs' (Dylan Coghlan) has come in, 'Hutty' (Ben Hutton) has given us some good minutes, 'Korzy's' (Kaedan Korczak) has come in."
Theodore And Hanifin Minutes
Without McNabb on the ice, Shea Theodore led all players with 28:30 of ice time in Game 2. Noah Hanifin followed for Vegas at 24:15, while Jeremy Lauzon logged 21:08 after previously returning from an upper-body injury.
Tortorella said, "You get to the fourth round, you have to tap into that, so we’re very comfortable where we’re at." That depth mattered once McNabb left, with Coghlan, Hutton and Korczak all contributing on defense after the injury.
McNabb's Postseason Load
The uncertainty lands on a player who has already carried a heavy load this spring. McNabb has seven points, including one goal and six assists, this postseason, along with a plus-10 rating and 19:59 of ice time per game. He had the first three-assist game of his career in Game 1 on Tuesday, a 5-4 Vegas win.
He also has 33 blocked shots in the playoffs, and his 142 blocked shots in 63 regular-season games led the Golden Knights. His 1,417 blocked shots and 1,469 hits are both first in franchise history. Hanifin said, "Any time you see that happen to a teammate, especially to a guy like 'Nabber' who is a huge part of this team, a leader, it's tough," and added, "It's hard to see that happen to any guy on the ice. We're just hoping for the best for him."
The series is tied 1-1 entering Game 3 at T-Mobile Arena. If McNabb cannot play, Vegas will have to lean again on Theodore, Hanifin and the rest of its defense group to absorb the minutes he normally takes.
