Shea Theodore, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Lauzon and Coghlan would likely log more minutes in the event McNabb can’t play, much like they did after he left Game 2. Theodore led all players with 28:30 of ice time; Hanifin was second for Vegas at 24:15. Lauzon, who played 13:32 in Game 1, his first time playing since sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round against the Utah Mammoth on May 1, saw 21:08 of ice time Thursday.
“Kind of like all year, we’ve kind of battled,” Theodore said. “We’ve had guys come out, we’ve had guys come in even in these playoffs, so we have guys who are capable of doing it. … Now is the time.”
If McNabb is out, Coughlan could move up to play with Theodore on the top defense pair. The two have played together previously.
“I mean, he’s a pretty amazing player,” Coghlan said of Theodore. “I think anybody who goes in there would play well. He’s an easy guy to play with. My game with all five or six (defensemen) there on the ice works well, I think.
“Going down to five (defensemen) there (in Game 2) we had to play with everybody, and I thought we did a good job with that.”
McNabb has seven points (one goal, six assists) and is plus-10 this postseason while averaging 19:59 of ice time. He had the first three-assist game of his career — regular season or playoffs — to help the Golden Knights to a 5-4 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old, who won the Cup with Vegas in 2023, has 33 blocked shots this postseason after leading his team with 142 in 63 regular-season games. His 1,417 blocked shots and 1,469 hits are both first in Golden Knights history.
“Any time you see that happen to a teammate, especially to a guy like ‘Nabber’ who is a huge part of this team, a leader, it’s tough,” Hanifin said Thursday. “It’s hard to see that happen to any guy on the ice. We’re just hoping for the best for him.”
