Golden Knights defenseman Kaedan Korczak has stepped back in for tonight’s Game 6, as Brayden McNabb sits as a result of his one game suspension. Such became apparent from lines shared by Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The 25-year-old was a regular in the lineup for what has been his breakout season, notching 16 points in 78 games. Vegas has rotated between him, Ben Hutton, and Dylan Coghlan at various times so far in their run. Coghlan made his playoff debut in Game 3, and had to be leaned on for over 20 minutes in the last contest after McNabb’s early game misconduct. Now all three are set to go together in Anaheim as the Golden Knights look to finish off the series.
Interestingly, Coghlan jumps up to the top pairing alongside Shea Theodore, who will skate on his left side for the first time since 2024, pointed out by SinBin.vegas. It’s quite a development for Coghlan, 28, who played 62 AHL games this season and is receiving his first career NHL playoff action this spring.
Mark Stone and Jeremy Lauzon both remain out, the captain sidelined since Game 3 after a lower-body injury that has fans fearing the worst for the major playoff performer. Lauzon hasn’t played since catching a puck to the head in Game 6 of the first round match-up versus Utah.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Seeking a spark as they went into the third period down 5-3, the Buffalo Sabres replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with Alex Lyon in net. The former came up big in Game 4 to even up the series, turning away 31 shots on the way to a 3-2 win at the Bell Centre, but was unable to sustain the success at home tonight. Lyon would go on to face three shots, allowing a power play tally from the blade of Ivan Demidov, putting the game out of reach. Head coach Lindy Ruff will have a decision to make for Saturday, their season on the line as they’ll try to force a Game 7 against a raucous crowd in Montreal. Only time will tell, however, based on how things went tonight it’s likely they’ll turn back to Lyon despite his short leash.
- An effect from McNabb’s suspension mentioned above, Ryan Poehling is out of the lineup for the Ducks, with Jansen Harkins coming in. The 27-year-old’s night ended early after a hard hit from the Vegas defender, where he was immediately shaken up after hitting the back of his head into the boards. It was a strange play where Poehling was not in possession of the puck, nor prepared for the contact. A third-line role playing center with elite speed, the former Montreal first round selection had a career-best 36 points across 75 regular season games, a nice start to his Ducks tenure which fetched a four-year extension. Poehling had four goals in the opening round triumph over the Oilers, but just one helper in four second round games so far. On the other hand, the 28-year-old Harkins will receive fourth line minutes, but he did find the back of the net in Game 2 in what was his playoff debut.
For the third game in a row, The Buffalo Sabres did everything in there power to lose, They are head and shoulders better than Montreal on paper, Which tells me that this is Jarmo Kekalainen’s out to get rid Lindy Ruff as head coach after they lose the series.
How juiced was Jim Harbaugh on the Ducks, Knights,TNT broadcast? Very entertaining.