Brayden McNabb knocked out of Stanley Cup Final Game 2 after taking a puck to the face

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb took a puck to the face that knocked him out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.

A slap shot from Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers hit McNabb square in the face just past the midway point of the first period. McNabb dropped his stick, went down to the ice and grabbed his nose as he skated immediately off and down the tunnel.

“It’s a scary play,' forward Brett Howden said. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing OK."

McNabb did not return, and Vegas went the rest of the way with just five defensemen.

“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.”

Coach John Tortorella said “they played well” and had no update when asked about McNabb’s condition after the Hurricanes’ overtime victory that tied the series.

McNabb was coming off the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in Game 1. He is one of three original Golden Knights players who have been around for the franchise's entire nine-year existence and are in the final for a third time.

“Any time you see that happen to a teammate, especially to a guy like Nabber who is a huge part of this team, a leader, it’s tough,” fellow D-man Noah Hanifin said. “It’s hard to see that happen to any guy on the ice. We’re just hoping for the best for him.”

The Golden Knights had their optimum, healthy lineup back for the series opener when Jeremy Lauzon returned from his injury. That did not last long.

Either Ben Hutton, a left-handed shooter, or Kaedan Korczak, who was playing in place of Lauzon, figures to play in Game 3 on Saturday if McNabb is unavailable.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl