- McNabb took an Ehlers slap shot to the face in the first period of Game 2
- ESPN reported he left the arena and headed to a local hospital
- Read below for video of the scary play and the latest on his status
Brayden McNabb’s night ended early, and the scene was an ugly one.
The Golden Knights defenseman took a Nikolaj Ehlers slap shot to the face at 10:52 of the first period in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, and ESPN reported he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
McNabb was parked in front of his own net trying to block the shot when the puck caught him in the face. Players threw their hands up right away to get the officials’ attention. He skated straight to the locker room under his own power, covering his mouth and nose.
Check out the video of the play:
He never came back for the second period. ESPN later reported that McNabb had left Lenovo Center entirely and was headed to a hospital in the Raleigh area:
This is already the second Game 2 that has chewed McNabb up this postseason. He exited Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against Colorado after throwing a hit on Sam Malinski.
The 35-year-old has been a big piece of the Vegas run. He set up three goals in Tuesday’s 5-4 comeback win in Game 1, the first three-assist game of his career. Through 17 playoff games he has seven points while logging nearly 21 minutes a night.
Blocking shots is the job description with McNabb. He has 33 blocks this postseason after leading Vegas with 142 in the regular season, and nobody in franchise history has more blocked shots or hits than he does.
Game 3 goes Saturday in Vegas. The Golden Knights will be holding their breath on their top shot blocker until then.
