Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb suspended 1 game for hit on Ducks’ Ryan Poehling

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb has been suspended for Game 6 of the second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Wednesday.

McNabb was suspended for a late hit on Anaheim forward Ryan Poehling nine minutes into the first period of Game 5 on Tuesday. McNabb was assessed a five-minute major for interference and an automatic game misconduct because Poehling was injured on the play. Poehling, who appeared to hit his head on the glass after the McNabb hit, was helped off the ice by teammates and team staff and didn’t return to the game. His status for the rest of the series is not known.

This is the first suspension in McNabb’s 14-year NHL career. He will miss Game 6, in which the Golden Knights, up 3-2, have a chance to end the series.

McNabb’s absence leaves a sizable hole on the Golden Knights’ blue line. McNabb is averaging nearly 21 minutes of ice time per game in the playoffs and has played many of the toughest minutes for Vegas at even strength and on the penalty kill. He is second on the team with 22 blocks, and leads all Vegas defensemen with 23 hits this postseason.

Bottom-pair defensemen Dylan Coghlan and Ben Hutton filled those minutes on Tuesday. Each set new career-highs for time on ice in the postseason.

Without McNabb, Kaedan Korczak likely will slot back into the lineup on Thursday. The 25-year-old played the first eight playoff games for Vegas, registering one assist, before sitting as a healthy scratch for the last three games. He had three goals and 13 assists in 78 regular-season games.