Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb ejected for interference

McNabb was given a game misconduct for interference against Ducks forward Ryan Poehling. Apr 27, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA;Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) warms up before a game against the Utah Mammoth in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb ejected for interference

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Ryan Cuneo | Last updated May 12, 2026 10:47 PM ET

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The Vegas Golden Knights will have to play the majority of their critical Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks without one of their top-four defensemen.

Nine minutes into Game 5’s first period on Tuesday, Brayden McNabb was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for interference against Ducks forward Ryan Poehling.

On the play, Poehling was engaged with Vegas’ Tomas Hertl in a puck battle at Anaheim’s blue line. The puck was eventually won by Hertl, who played it deeper into the Ducks’ zone, as Poehling drifted into the neutral zone. Despite Poehling no longer being close to the puck, McNabb still came over from nearly the center-ice logo and hammered him along the boards, causing his head to snap back and hit hard against the glass. Poehling immediately fell to the ice and stayed down for several minutes, before getting helped off by two of his teammates.

Brayden McNabb has been assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Ryan Poehling

Poehling needed assistance getting off the ice and has gone to the locker room pic.twitter.com/hhHsqZlpzB
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 13, 2026

Interference was clearly the correct call, as Poehling was not near the puck at the time of the hit. The five-minute major and game misconduct, however, could certainly be protested by Golden Knights fans. While Poehling was severely shaken up on the play, McNabb did not target or contact his head. Rather, it was the whiplash effect of Poehling’s head smacking against the glass that likely caused the most damage.

On the other hand, the officials may have determined that the violence and unnecessary force of McNabb’s hit, even if it didn’t target Poehling’s head, was enough to warrant five and the game, given that it was an illegal hit in the first place.

Either way, the Ducks took advantage of the proceeding power play, as Beckett Sennecke scored on a rebound to give Anaheim the 1-0 lead.