LAS VEGAS (AP) — Anaheim center Ryan Poehling was helped off the ice after being checked hard into the boards by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb midway through the first period of the Ducks' Game 5 loss Tuesday night.
McNabb, a first-pair D-man, received a five-minute major for interference and was sent to the dressing room with a game misconduct.
Anaheim announced Poehling would not return to the game because of an upper-body injury. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime to take a 3-2 series lead.
The Ducks got a goal off the power play when rookie Beckett Sennecke scored off a rebound with 7:24 left in the period. That extended his goals streak to four games.
Poehling entered the game with four goals and an assist in 10 playoff games.
McNabb slammed into Poehling with his shoulder. But the brunt of the hit caused the back of Poehling's head to hit the glass. He went to the ice and tried to stand, but was wobbly and went back down. He was helped off the ice to the locker room.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Anaheim.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe (2) and Jacob Trouba (65) tend to center Ryan Poehling (25) after being hit by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) skates against Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) and Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) during the first period of Game 2 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had at least one teammate who hoped the San Antonio Spurs superstar would return angry. His coach expected a mature approach from Wembanyama after his first career ejection a game earlier.
The Spurs got both, much to the dismay of the Timberwolves.
“They ain’t mutually exclusive,” Wembanyama said. “I’m looking for both.”
Wembanyama had 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as San Antonio beat Minnesota 126-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.
“I feel like we got the Vic that you've seen all year,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I think his maturity level was off the charts. I mean, he played smart, didn’t really foul much, took the shots that were there for him. So, I mean, when he’s playing like that, playing aggressive with everything that he brings for us defensively, I feel like we’re pretty hard to beat.”
Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 on Sunday night because of an elbow he threw early in the second quarter after getting tangled with Minnesota’s Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels while grabbing a rebound. Wembanyama swung his arms and his elbow struck Reid in the face.
Officials looked at the play and upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, which comes with an automatic ejection. The NBA, as it always does in those situations, further reviewed the play after the game and decided Monday that the ejection was sufficient. It could have fined or even suspended Wembanyama for Game 5 and beyond if it felt that was warranted.
“I don’t think we even thought about it much at all,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. told reporters at Minnesota’s shootaround Tuesday. “I think once the ruling came down, it was just like, we expected that and just moved forward. It’s one of those things. We don’t want guys to miss games. We want to play against the best. We don’t want to have guys missing games like that.”
Even before it was determined Wembanyama would play in Game 5, the 7-foot-4 star from France went through his normal off-day routines in preparation to play. He quickly put the incident behind him, to the point he misspoke on the timeline between Games 4 and 5.
“I mean, it was two games ago,” Wembanyama said. “It’s the playoffs. I’m focused. I was focused on the game today and now I’m focusing on the game in three days. It’s the playoff. We got to move on and I got to care about my team.”
San Antonio has a chance to reach the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2017 and Wembanyama's historic postseason has been key.
Wembanyama (22 years, 128 days) is the third-youngest player in league history with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a postseason game behind Magic Johnson (20 years, 276 days) and Luka Doncic (21 years, 177 days).
Wembanyama set an early tone, becoming the first Spurs player since Tim Duncan in 2002 with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first half of a playoff game.
While the series continued to be extremely physical, Wembanyama remained calm.
After being approached by Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu after getting tangled up with McDaniels in the first quarter, Wembanyama would run untouched to the rim for an emphatic windmill dunk.
“Yeah, I feel like the rage baiting would’ve been maybe one of the strategies,” Wembanyama said. “I feel like I need to stay composed as a team.”
Wembanyama finished with just one personal foul. He was 9 for 16 from the field, including 2 for 5 on 3-pointers.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) is blocked by San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) as he drives to the basket during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard Stephon Castle (5) battle Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, center, and guard Ayo Dosunmu, right, for a rebound during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) scores against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, center, is blocked by San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) as forward Victor Wembanyama (1) looks on during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
