NHL star Brayden McNabb was rushed to the hospital during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday following a slap shot to the face.
The defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights immediately left the ice for the locker room on Thursday night after an 87 mph slap shot struck him in the face, per the ESPN. His team would go on to lose 4-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime.
McNabb was defending in front of Vegas goalie Carter Hart when Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers fired a shot from inside the blue line. The puck, traveling 87 mph, hit McNabb around the visor. He dropped to the ice before eventually getting to his skates, clutching his nose as he quickly left.
McNabb didn’t return to the Vegas bench for the second period, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that he left Lenovo Center to go to a hospital for further evaluation.
Coach John Tortorella had no updates on McNabb’s condition after the game. Forward Brett Howden called it a “scary play.”
“It’s a scary play,” 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.”
As noted by the New York Post, McNabb proved to be a “difference maker during Game 1, having his first career three-assist effort to help the Golden Knights beat Carolina 5-4 on Tuesday.”
“He has 33 blocked shots in the playoffs after leading the Golden Knights with 142 blocks in 63 games during the regular season,” it added. “The veteran defenseman also ranks first in Golden Knights history in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469).”