LAS VEGAS -- Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb was in the starting lineup for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final after a puck to the face sent him to the hospital in the previous game.
McNabb skated in warmups wearing a face cage similar to the ones that NCAA hockey players wear. He was announced in the starting lineup during pregame introductions, getting the loudest and longest ovation of any player.
McNabb left Game 2 after a scary scene in which he took a puck to the face from a shot by Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers. The puck, traveling 87.3 mph, hit McNabb around the visor. He dropped to the ice before eventually getting to his skates, clutching his nose as he quickly left.
His status was in question during the Golden Knights' media availability Saturday morning, with coach John Tortorella saying there was no update on McNabb.
While defensemen Kaedan Korczak and Ben Hutton also took warmups, both were listed as Game 3 scratches while McNabb was in his usual spot next to defenseman Shea Theodore.
McNabb is a pivotal defenseman for the Knights. His pairing with Theodore has a 63.9% goals-for percentage at 5-on-5. He's also second in shorthanded ice time for Knights, meaning that a penalty-killing unit that gave up two critical goals in Carolina's Game 2 win gets a key contributor back.
The Stanley Cup Final is tied 1-1.