Dirty hit on Ryan Poehling leads to major NHL Player Safety decision
Brayden McNabb has a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety today, and the Vegas Knights can't afford to lose him now.
The veteran defenseman was called in for interference on Ryan Poehling during Tuesday night's Game 5 in Las Vegas.
Vegas won that one 3-2 in overtime. They lead the second-round series 3-2 with Game 6 set for Thursday in Anaheim.
Poehling is currently listed as day-to-day with an upper-body issue. The Ducks are missing one of their better playoff forwards at the worst possible moment.
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The 27-year-old has been one of Anaheim's surprises this postseason. Four goals and five points in 11 games, including a shorthanded marker and a game-winner.
McNabb knows the drill. He's 35, wears No. 3, and has been one of John Tortorella's trusted physical bodies on the back end throughout this run.
Could a suspension cost the Knights their series lead?
The math here is brutal. Vegas is one win from the conference final, and their veteran shutdown defender might watch Game 6 from the press box.
When the league schedules a hearing rather than handing out a fine, supplemental discipline is usually coming. Length is the only real question left.
His playoff line reads 1 goal, 2 assists, plus-5 across 11 games. Not flashy, but he eats minutes against top-six forwards and works the PK.
How does Tortorella replace 18 to 20 minutes of heavy defensive zone work on the road, against a desperate opponent staring down elimination?
Tortorella took over behind the Vegas bench earlier this spring. He's leaned on his back end all postseason, and the No. 3 sweater has been a fixture every night.
There's another wrinkle. Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is also listed as day-to-day. The blue line depth is already thinner than the front office wants to admit.
Lose the 35-year-old for a game or two, and the matchup math shifts. Anaheim's forecheck gets easier breathing room. So does the road back into this series.
For Poehling, the timing stings. He's been one of Anaheim's best two-way options in this round, with a game-winner and a shorthanded tally already on his playoff sheet.
The hearing happens today. The Ducks fly home with their season on one game, knowing the man who put their forward on the shelf might be sitting Thursday too.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 12, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mason McTavish | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Beckett Sennecke | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Olen Zellweger | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Saad | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||