Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb, struck by the puck in the face in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, was transported to a hospital for observation, ESPN reported.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers sent an 87 mph shot toward the net in the first period at Raleigh, N.C. McNabb, standing in front of goalie Carter Hart, absorbed the puck off the visor of his helmet. He went down briefly, then held his face as he swiftly skated off the ice and directly to the locker room.
McNabb, 35, exited with 9:08 to go in the opening period and didn’t return to action, leaving the Golden Knights down a defenseman.
Vegas led 2-0 entering the third period but wound up losing 4-3 in overtime, leveling the best-of-seven series at one win apiece.
McNabb, 35, has one goal and six assists through 17 games in Vegas’ current postseason run. He was averaging 20:53 of ice time in the playoffs prior to Thursday.
After joining the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft, McNabb was part of the team’s trek to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 and their run to capturing the Cup in 2023.
Over 14 NHL seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings and Vegas, McNabb has 38 goals, 153 assists and a plus-160 rating in 885 regular-season games.
In the 2025-26 regular season, he had five goals (tying his career high) and seven assists in 63 games.
Right after the game ended, Golden Knights coach John Tortorella had no update on McNabb’s condition.
