Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb exits game after taking slap shot to face
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb exited Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and did not return after taking a Nikolaj Ehlers slap shot to the face midway through the first period.
McNabb, 35, immediately left the ice in apparent distress while clutching his nose area. The 6’4″, 215-pound rearguard had logged 5:35 of ice time over seven shifts before leaving the game, and he did not return after the first intermission.
Reporting rinkside at Lenovo Arena in Raleigh, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan said McNabb left the arena and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
A scary moment here as Brayden McNabb takes an 87 mph one timer to the face. 🎥: Sportsnet
McNabb has been integral to Vegas’s success in the 2026 playoffs, averaging 20:53 of ice time and posting a plus-10 rating across 16 games prior to Thursday’s contest. The Davidson, Sask. product has also collected seven points (one goal, six assists) in the playoffs thus far.
An original “Golden Misfit,” McNabb has spent the past nine seasons with the Golden Knights and is under contract with the club at a $3.65 million cap hit through the end of the 2027-28 season.
Originally a third-round pick (No. 66 overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2009 NHL Draft, McNabb spent his junior career with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice before making his NHL debut with Buffalo in the 2011-12 season. Two years later, the Sabres traded McNabb, along with Jonathan Parker and two second-round picks, to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for then-prospects Nicolas Deslauriers and Hudson Fasching.
McNabb established himself as a full-time NHLer the year after the Kings’ second championship, skating in 71 games with the club in the 2014-15 season. He ultimately skated in three full seasons with the Kings before being claimed by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
In 885 career NHL games over parts of 14 seasons with the Sabres, Kings, and Golden Knights, McNabb has collected 38 goals, 191 points, and 567 penalty minutes. He’s added six goals and 33 points in 120 career playoff contests.