Vegas feared the worst for Brayden McNabb and Noah Hanifin and now we finally know
Brayden McNabb and John Tortorella just gave Vegas a needed blue-line lift ahead of Game 4.
Ryan Rishaug reported Sunday that McNabb and Noah Hanifin are both expected to play, even after neither defenseman took part in Saturday's skate. That changes the feel around Vegas right away.
McNabb was the bigger worry. He got clipped in the face by a puck in Game 2, and Tortorella gave nothing away after that. Now the read is a lot clearer.
That matters because McNabb is not a spare piece on this bench. He played 63 regular-season games and logged 12 points while staying in Vegas' top-four mix.
Hanifin matters just as much in a different way. He had 34 points in 86 games across the regular season and playoffs, and he chipped in an assist in Game 2 while skating 24:15.
So this is not just about two names getting cleared. It is about Vegas getting back a huge chunk of its blue-line stability with the Final already tilted deep into detail hockey.
The timing also hits hard because McNabb barely lasted 5:39 in Game 2 before leaving, which forced the rest of the bench to stretch. Vegas survived that night, but that is not a rhythm you want carrying into another Final game.
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The update Vegas fans were waiting for on McNabb and Hanifin is finally here
Vegas finished the regular season with 95 points and 250 goals against. Carolina came in at 113 points and 240 goals against. That gap tells you why every healthy defender matters in this matchup.
The Golden Knights do not need McNabb and Hanifin to drive offense tonight. They need them to settle breakouts, close space fast, and keep the slot from turning chaotic against Carolina's forecheck.
Hanifin gives Vegas a cleaner puck mover on the left side. McNabb gives them reach, body positioning, and the kind of quiet defensive shift that keeps a bench from sagging after one bad sequence.
That is a big swing for Tortorella because this series has already shown how thin the margin is. Carolina won Game 2 in overtime, and one missing defender can change a whole night's matchup chain.
There is also a message inside this update. If both guys are in after missing the skate, Vegas clearly believes this is the night to push through discomfort instead of waiting for anything to calm down.
For the Golden Knights, that is the best news they could take into puck drop. Brayden McNabb and Noah Hanifin look ready, and Vegas' blue line suddenly feels a lot harder to crack.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||