Golden Knights’ McNabb to have hearing for interference on Ducks’ Poehling

Some consequences are on the horizon for a veteran blueliner.

On Wednesday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb will have a hearing for interference against Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling.

The incident in question happened just before the halfway mark of the first period in Game 5 of the Pacific Division Final on Tuesday night. While the Ducks were attempting to break the puck out of their zone, McNabb finished a check on Poehling along the boards. The harmful impact wasn’t necessarily on the hit itself, but on the back of Poehling’s head bouncing off the glass, leaving the depth center in quite a bit of distress.

A dazed Poehling had to be assisted off the ice by teammates and training staff. After a video review, McNabb was handed a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct. The Ducks ended up scoring on the ensuing power play, with Beckett Sennecke scoring his fifth goal of the postseason, but the Golden Knights would get the last laugh, as Pavel Dorofeyev scored the winner in overtime, giving Vegas a 3-2 win, putting them one win away from the Western Conference Final.

Despite being a bruising 6-foot-4 rearguard, McNabb has managed to keep his nose clean for most of his NHL career, having never faced supplemental discipline. Since being taken by the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, the Saskatchewan native has only reached 50 penalty minutes in a season once, that coming during the 2022-23 season in which Vegas went on to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

In 11 games so far in these playoffs, McNabb has scored a goal and two assists for three points.

Game 6 between the Golden Knights and Ducks is scheduled for Thursday night in Anaheim, with puck drop set for a little after 9:30 p.m. ET.