LAS VEGAS — On Thursday night, Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb sat in a hospital room in Raleigh, N.C., bloodied and battered as doctors stitched his nose back together, wondering if his Stanley Cup Final was over.
On Saturday night, peering through a metal cage fastened to his helmet, McNabb was a star for the Golden Knights as they won one of the most dramatic games in recent NHL history. Vegas blew a four-goal lead in the third period, only to win 5-4 in a double overtime marathon to take a 2-1 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Less than 48 hours removed from eating an 87-mile-per-hour slap shot that sent him to a hospital room three time zones away, McNabb registered a career-high 35 minutes and 47 seconds of ice time and assisted on two goals to help lead his team to victory.
“I heard the players yelling ‘warrior,’ but he’s more than that,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I’m just blown away by how he’s gone about his business.”
McNabb was hit in the face by a blistering shot by Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers in the first period of Game 2. He dropped to the ice, then quickly popped up and rushed to the dressing room, holding his face as blood dripped through his gloves.
“It was not ideal for sure, but it’s part of hockey,” McNabb said nonchalantly. “That’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s unfortunate, but I was able to get through it.”
‘Not ideal’ isn’t how most would describe it, but McNabb’s businesslike approach never wavers. He received between 20 and 30 stitches. It wasn’t clear whether he would play in the game as late as Saturday morning.
“When I was at the hospital, there was some doubt for sure,” he explained. “Waking up, I felt OK, and I knew I would have a chance.”
He strolled into T-Mobile Arena hours before puck drop, dressed in a dapper suit with a cup of coffee in hand. It was far too casual for a man who just had his nose sewn back together, but that’s McNabb to a tee.
“I don’t think you can say enough good things about him,” Vegas forward Jack Eichel said. “His courage, heart. They don’t make a lot of people like him anymore. He’s just such a selfless human being. So much guts. I could sit here and talk about him forever.”
McNabb skated out for pregame warm-ups, wearing a cage over his face for the first time in nearly 20 years, when he was playing triple-A midget hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds. The moment he was shown on the video board, Vegas fans erupted in cheers.
When McNabb was announced in the starting lineup, it was met with a thunderous roar louder than that of the pregame flyover by two F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets.
“It was pretty cool,” McNabb said. “Our fans are awesome. They got our backs, so it was a very cool moment.”
McNabb played 49 shifts in the game and was one of Vegas’ most impactful players. In the second period, with the Golden Knights already leading 2-0, he jumped into the play to intercept a clearing attempt by Carolina, then skated through the high slot and dished a perfect pass over to Mitch Marner, who scored to extend the lead.
He said breathing wasn’t always the easiest, especially early in the game.
“A little rough,” he said. “A little rough, but I was able to make it happen. The guys did a great job getting me prepared. I felt OK to start, and kind of just got better as the game went on.”
McNabb felt good enough to lay one of his patented hip checks in the third period, pinning Carolina forward Taylor Hall against the boards with a booming hit. When his team watched a four-goal lead melt away in minutes, he was one of the stabilizing forces on the bench.
“A 4-0 lead you obviously want to take that home and finish it in the third period, but we’ll learn from it,” he said. “Some things happen and it’s a good learning lesson, and we’ll do that. We stuck with it, the guys played a great game and we were able to get the win.”
McNabb played more than 10 minutes in the two overtime periods alone. Early in the second overtime, he caught a pass near the offensive blue line from Brett Howden and immediately flipped it over to his longtime defensive partner, Shea Theodore.
Theodore one-timed the puck off the end boards. It bounced off Hurricanes’ goalie Brandon Bussi and into the net to win it.
“I didn’t have much energy to celebrate,” McNabb said with a laugh. “I was just happy it was over. I think he probably felt the same way.”
Theodore and McNabb have played together for nearly a decade. They’ve shared the ice for more than 100 playoff games, and Theodore has seen McNabb play through plenty, including broken ribs and who knows what else. Even for him, Saturday night’s performance stands alone.
“It’s got to be near the top,” he said. “The stuff he went through from the last game, and everything. It’s incredible for him to bounce back like that, and be able to come in today, get ready to play, and I thought he played unbelievably given all of the circumstances.”
Setting a new career high for shifts and ice time in a Stanley Cup Final game with 108 combined hits, and McNabb didn’t just survive it — he starred in it.
“When you’re in it, you’re in it,” he said. “Mentally, you’re just trying to battle and do what you can to help the team. The guys played great. The third period wasn’t how we wanted it to be, but it happened. We had more adversity, but we came through.”
McNabb is Vegas’ franchise leader in games played. He’s never been the most offensively leaning player, so his contributions can sometimes be overlooked. But his strength in front of the net, presence in the room and self-effacing demeanor have made him a locker room favorite.
Tortorella recalled talking with his players recently about the moments you remember most about a deep playoff run like this one.
“When you get this far in the playoffs, it’s not so much the end results, it’s just the attrition and all that goes into what these athletes have to do to play as many games as we’ve played so far,” he explained. “Those are the things you remember.”
Tortorella has coached 1,766 games over 24 seasons in the NHL, the seventh-most all-time. He thought he’d seen it all. Then he watched McNabb on Saturday.
“I’ve been fortunate to be in a few playoffs along the way and see some of this,” he said, “but I haven’t seen something like this.”