The Vegas Golden Knights will be without defenseman Brayden McNabb for Thursday night's pivotal Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks, after the NHL's Department of Player Safety handed down a one-game suspension for his late hit on Ducks center Ryan Poehling.

The incident occurred just nine minutes into Game 5 on Tuesday night, when McNabb delivered a shoulder-to-shoulder hit that arrived well after Poehling had released the puck. The impact sent Poehling crashing into the boards, with the back of his head hitting the glass. When the Ducks forward tried to get back to his feet, he was visibly unsteady—teammates had to help him off the ice, and he was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury.

McNabb was assessed a five-minute major penalty for interference and ejected on the spot. The league's disciplinary hearing, held Wednesday, resulted in the suspension—a first for the veteran blueliner in his decade-plus NHL career.

The timing couldn't be more critical. The Golden Knights snatched a dramatic overtime win in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, putting them one win away from advancing. But now, they'll have to close out the series without a key defensive presence. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville confirmed Poehling is out, leaving Anaheim to weigh options between adding another forward or dressing an extra defenseman to fill the gap.

With the series shifting back to Anaheim, all eyes will be on how both teams adjust—and whether the suspension shifts the momentum in what's already been a hard-hitting, high-stakes second-round battle.