Brayden Mcnabb Ejected in Game 5 After Ryan Poehling Hit

Brayden McNabb was ejected from Game 5 against the Ducks after a hit on Ryan Poehling, and the Golden Knights had to finish the game with only five defensemen. The call came early in a key playoff game that was tied 2-2 in the series after Anaheim won Game 4 in Anaheim.

McNabb’s hit changes Game 5

McNabb was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit on Poehling. Tomas Hertl had already stripped Poehling of the puck before McNabb came in with the hit, and Poehling needed assistance getting off the ice before going to the locker room.

The penalty immediately put Vegas under pressure. On the ensuing power play, Cutter Gauthier set up Beckett Sennecke for a goal, and the Ducks rookie scored his fifth goal in 11 playoff games.

Ducks capitalize on the power play

Vegas answered later in the first period and tied the game late after McNabb’s exit, but the roster loss still left the Golden Knights playing short on the blue line for the rest of the night. That put the burden on the remaining defensemen in a series game that already sat at two games apiece.

McNabb has spent nine of his 14 NHL seasons with Vegas, has played 110 postseason games with the club, and won the 2023 Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights. His ejection turned one shift into a longer test for a defense group that had to absorb the rest of Game 5 without him.

Vegas loses a veteran presence

For Vegas, the immediate concern was surviving the rest of Game 5 with five defensemen. For McNabb, one hit pulled a veteran playoff regular out of a game that could swing the series lead, and the Ducks used the power play to make the opening minutes count.