NHL Player Hospitalized After He’s Struck by Puck to the Face During Stanley Cup Final
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NEED TO KNOW
- Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was injured in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals
- The 35-year-old took an 87 mph slapshot to the face
- McNabb did not return to the game and was taken to a hospital for evaluation
Vegas Golden Knights star Brayden McNabb was hospitalized after he took a puck to the face during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The defenseman, 35, was hit by an 87 mph slapshot from Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers during the first period of the game on Thursday, June 4, in Raleigh, N.C.
In video from the play, McNabb hit the ice in pain, holding his bloody nose. He was then able to get up and skate off the ice to the tunnel.
McNabb did not return to the bench for the second period and went to the hospital to be evaluated, according to ESPN.
On Friday, June 5, Golden Knights coach John Tortorella confirmed that McNabb was traveling home to Las Vegas with the team in advance of Game 3 on Saturday, June 6.
It is unclear if McNabb will play after the scary injury, but his teammates weighed in after the incident.
Credit: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty
“It’s a scary play,” forward Brett Howden said.
He added, “You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing okay.”
“You lose a guy like Nabber who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough,” captain Mark Stone said. “They battled as hard as they could.”
Over 16 playoff games, McNabb has one goal and six assists.
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After he left the game, the team gave up its 1-0 advantage, and eventually lost the game, 4-3, in overtime.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 on Saturday is at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Read the original article on People
