Anaheim Ducks week one recap: three stars, biggest concern, and what's next

Although still really early into the 2025-26 season, the first week is complete for the Anaheim Ducks who are currently sitting with a record of 2-2-0, which puts the team in fifth place in the Pacific Division. Let's take a look back at the first week, who were the team's three stars and what should fans be concerned about before the Ducks leave for an extended road trip.

The three stars for week one

Third star: Beckett Sennecke

Sennecke had a breakthrough first week for the Ducks. A surprise addition to the opening night lineup, due to a Ryan Strome injury, the third overall draft pick announced his arrival with emphatic fashion.

Playing on the second line with Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier, Sennecke has made the most of his opportunity, with two goals and two assists. That kind of production will make the lineup decisions difficult for the Ducks coaching staff once Strome is fully healthy and ready to return back to the team.

Second star: Chris Kreider

As the big acquisition of the offseason for GM Pat Verbeek, Kreider faced some uncertainty about being able to maintain the same level of offensive impact after a down season with the New York Rangers.

Playing on the top line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn, while getting ample time on the first power play unit, Kreider has shown that there is still offense in his game. Not only does Kreider look rejuvenated playing with a young center like Carlsson, Kreider currently leads the Ducks in goals (four) and powerplay goals (three).

First star: Leo Carlsson

The number one center for the Ducks has looked the part to open the season. Carlsson leads the Ducks in scoring, with two goals and four assists. Plus, he added this dagger of a game winning goal against another California rival.

Not only does Carlsson consistently play at a high level for the team, but he also seems to finally have confidence from the Ducks coaching staff to play in all situations. Just from a surface level glance, Carlsson has played 5.7 minutes in short-handed situations for the Ducks. While that total might not seem like much, consider that Carlsson only played 36.5 short-handed minutes in 76 games last season. Carlsson will easily surpass that mark, since the Ducks are only four games into the 2025-26 season.

Biggest first week concern

Early goals

On the surface, the goaltending performances from Lukas Dostal and backup Petr Mrazek have been subpar, with save percentages of .886 and .739, respectively. However, the bigger concern has been the early goals the Anaheim netminders have allowed.

Game one against Seattle: two goals on six shots for Dostal

Game two against San Jose: two goals on six shots for Mrazek

Game three against Pittsburg: two goals on four shots for Dostal

Game four against Carolina: one goal on five shots for Dostal

While every fan base loves a good comeback in a game, the Ducks cannot be playing from behind every game, particularly against playoff caliber teams like the Hurricanes. Granted, some of the goals can be attributed to bad luck or poor defensive break downs, but an early pattern is beginning to form. The Ducks need better starts to games if they plan on pushing their way into the playoff picture.

What's next?

The Ducks will embark on a five-game road trip with their first game in Chicago against another rebuilding team on Sunday. The team will then travel to Nashville, Boston, Tampa Bay, and conclude the road trip with a game against the Stanley Cup Champions in Sunrise, Florida. This five-game span will not only provide a good litmus test to see how the Ducks measure up against competition in their own stratosphere, but how the Ducks stack up against true Stanley Cup contending teams.