Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb’s status for Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final remains up in the air after he took a slapshot to the face in the first period of Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Head coach John Tortorella told reporters there was no update on McNabb ahead of Saturday’s game.
McNabb suffered the injury after being hit with a shot off the stick of the Hurricanes’ Nikolaj Ehlers, which clocked in at 87 miles per hour, according to the broadcast.
McNabb, who was holding his face, left the ice under his own power and did not return to the game.
The game was scoreless at the time of McNabb’s injury. The Golden Knights played with five defensemen for the rest of the contest, which featured Vegas blowing an early 2-0 lead, then rallying to tie the game late in regulation only to lose on an overtime penalty kill.
The series will now head to Las Vegas tied at 1-1.
“You lose a guy like Nabber, who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said after the game.
Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin added: “Anytime you see that happen to a teammate, especially a guy like Nabber, who’s a huge part of this team, a leader, it’s tough. It’s hard to see that to any guy on the ice. We’re just hoping for the best for him.”
McNabb has been skating on the Golden Knights’ top pairing alongside Shea Theodore while leading his team in penalty kill ice time during the playoffs.
He paced the Golden Knights with 142 blocked shots and ranked fifth with 110 hits during the regular season despite missing 19 games, per Hockey Reference.
McNabb has taken on a similarly physical role in the postseason, during which he has recorded 33 blocks and 33 hits in 17 playoff games.
