- Brayden McNabb suspended one game for interference on Ryan Poehling
- Knights defenseman misses Game 6 on Thursday with Vegas leading the series 3-2
- Read below for the Player Safety video and what it means for both lineups
Brayden McNabb is out for Game 6.
The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman one playoff game on Wednesday for interference on Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling. It is the first suspension of McNabb’s 14-year career.
Watch the Player Safety ruling:
Player Safety zeroed in on the timing. Poehling had moved the puck well before McNabb arrived, and the league said the Knights veteran had “sufficient time to elect to avoid or minimize contact” but instead finished the check “with considerable force.”
Their note added that Poehling was in no way eligible to be hit on the play.
The hit came 9:00 into the first period of Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win at T-Mobile Arena. Poehling’s head snapped back into the glass, and he needed help getting to the bench. McNabb drew a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the spot.
Here’s the play that started everything:
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville confirmed Poehling won’t play in Game 6, and the timeline beyond that is still up in the air.
“He’s out and we don’t know how long he’s going to be,” Quenneville said. “That’s tough to watch that type of play. It’s a tough play and (Poehling) is very useful, he gives us a lot of different versatility in how you apply him, and I certainly hope he’s going to be fine.”
Poehling carved out a real role on Anaheim’s third line this year, finishing with a career-high 36 points in 75 regular-season games. His four playoff goals are tied for second on the team behind Beckett Sennecke.
Vegas isn’t exactly stocked on the back end either. Jeremy Lauzon is already out, and McNabb logged the second-most hits on the blue line behind him this season. That leaves Bruce Cassidy juggling pairings with the Western Conference Final on the table.
The league office has been swinging hard this round. They handed Charlie McAvoy six games earlier in the week for his slash on Zach Benson. McNabb’s one-game ruling falls on the lighter end of the scale, but the Knights still have to win Thursday in Anaheim without him.
Game 6 is set for 9:30 p.m. ET at Honda Center. Vegas leads 3-2 and a win punches their ticket to the Western Conference Final.
