Ducks News & Notes: Playoff Edition – The Hockey Writers – Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are officially finding playoff success once again. As of Sunday night, the series against the Edmonton Oilers is 3-1, and fans have seen a team that is ready to continue competing against tough opponents as their playoff run continues. Let’s take a look at what’s going on with the organization as Round 1 of the playoffs continues.

What’s Working, and What Isn’t?

The Ducks’ showing in the postseason has been especially impressive for a young, inexperienced team. They have held their own against (and even outperformed) the Oilers, who have made the playoffs for eight seasons running. The team’s more senior players have been particularly effective. In their 6-4 win on Wednesday, for example, Alex Killorn had a goal and two assists. He has totaled six points through the series. Ducks veteran Troy Terry has totaled five points. Mikael Granlund also has six, two of which are power-play goals.

Jackson LaCombe has had seven points so far and has been a critical part of the team’s defense. He’s showing himself to be a true two-way player in the postseason. Tyson Hinds, primarily a member of the San Diego Gulls, has slotted in for Radko Gudas, who is out with an injury. The team’s blue line looked noticeably better in these games with Hinds in, as well as with Drew Helleson in place of Olen Zellweger.

As a whole, the Ducks are bringing a standout level of physicality to each game. Big hits are being delivered, and the team is checking and bodying opponents to get and maintain possession of the puck. They are not letting their emotions get the best of them, either, and are keeping the hits clean and effective.

Unfortunately, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, and Chris Kreider are not performing at the same level as they were in the regular season and are not scoring at the pace the team needs. The Oilers defense has been effective at shutting them down, so they will need to work around those roadblocks and create more offensive opportunities. If the Ducks do advance to the second round and beyond, they will need scoring to come from a variety of players, but especially those who have histories of high-scoring performances.

Lukas Dostal has looked decent, but he needs to hone his skills if the team moves on. He has just an .874 save percentage and has averaged 4.05 goals against. Those numbers will not stand up against the tough teams they could face in subsequent rounds of the playoffs. Perhaps resting him in favor of Ville Husso will give him the mental and physical boost he needs.

His defense has not been supporting him as well as it should, either. In Sunday’s game, for example, Pavel Mintyukov had a turnover that led to a goal, and accidentally deflected a puck off his skate and into the net. It is little mistakes like these that could add up to be the nail in the coffin for the team if they are not careful. They head to Edmonton to play Game 5 on Tuesday, where they could advance to the next round of playoffs.

The Gulls Make a Playoff Run

For the first time since the 2021-22 season, the Gulls made the Calder Cup Playoffs. The American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Ducks had a 33-27-8 record in the regular season. Sasha Pastujov led the team this season with 57 points. Matthew Phillips had 52 points, and Ryan Carpenter had 48 to round out the top three scorers. Justin Bailey led the team in goals with 25.

They faced the Colorado Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, they struggled against the Colorado Avalanche affiliate and were bested in just two games. The Eagles took Game 1 3-0 and Game 2 6-1. However, with such a talented roster, they hope to make another playoff run next season.

Two Young Players Signed to the Ducks

The Ducks’ front office has been busy behind the scenes, too. They recently signed centers Roger McQueen and Ethan Procyszyn to three-year entry-level contracts that will start next season. McQueen was selected in the first round of the 2025 Draft, and Procyszyn was picked in the third round in 2024.

McQueen played six games with the Gulls on an amateur tryout and tallied three points. In his first season with Providence College, he had 27 points and was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Year. Procyszyn was the captain of the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League, where he had 59 points. He led his team in points, goals, plus/minus, and faceoff wins. These two add to the excitement of the growing young core in Anaheim.

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, keep your eye on The Hockey Writers for all things Ducks and beyond.