06/04/26 11:28:00
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06/04 23:23 CDT Brayden McNabb knocked out of Stanley Cup Final Game 2 after
taking a puck to the face
Brayden McNabb knocked out of Stanley Cup Final Game 2 after taking a puck to
the face
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) --- Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb took a
puck to the face that knocked him out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on
Thursday night.
A slap shot from Carolina's Nikolaj Ehlers hit McNabb square in the face just
past the midway point of the first period. McNabb dropped his stick, went down
to the ice and grabbed his nose as he skated immediately off and down the
tunnel.
"It's a scary play,' forward Brett Howden said. "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 was coming off the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in
Game 1. He is one of three original Golden Knights players who have been around
for the franchise's entire nine-year existence and are in the final for a third
time.
"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," fellow D-man Noah
Hanifin said. "It's hard to see that happen to any guy on the ice. We're just
hoping for the best for him."
The Golden Knights had their optimum, healthy lineup back for the series opener
when Jeremy Lauzon returned from his injury. That did not last long.
Either Ben Hutton, a left-handed shooter, or Kaedan Korczak, who was playing in
place of Lauzon, figures to play in Game 3 on Saturday if McNabb is unavailable.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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