The end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for the Anaheim Ducks

The regular season has concluded for the Anaheim Ducks, as the team went 1-1-1 in week 25. After suffering a disappointing overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks in their final home game at Honda Center, the Ducks muddied the playoff picture by promptly losing to the Iowa Wild. But the Ducks somewhat redeemed themselves against the Nashville Predators, by securing a 5-4 regulation win. However, we now know the playoff opponent for our fledgling Ducks and it's a doozy, the Edmonton Oilers. While the Ducks and their fans got a chance to say goodbye to an icon, they also have an eye on the immediate future in the form of Connor McDavid and company.

End of an era

We'd be remiss not to give stick taps to longtime Ducks radio broadcaster Steve Carroll, as he hung up the headset after the Ducks last home game. While the team could not secure a much-needed win and one last hurrah for Carroll, his impact on the franchise cannot be understated.

A new chapter

Gone are the days of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, the webbed "D", and Bro Hymn. The Ducks have embraced the Wild Wing logo with a heavy emphasis on orange, The Offspring, and it's now, "Fear the Flock". With Troy Terry being the only link to the old guard, these playoffs will be first appearance for the new young core led by Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier, and Jackson LaCombe. While the upcoming matchup against the Oilers will be the biggest test to date for this version of the Ducks, it's refreshing to see the team back in the postseason after eight long years.

Three stars of the week

Third star: Mason McTavish

While still not playing up to the level of his early season form, McTavish had one of his better weeks of the season skating on the wing alongside Ryan Poehling and Gauthier. With four points (two goals, two assists), McTavish seems to have found the right place in the lineup and just in time too. His aggressive forechecking style and heavy frame should be advantageous in the upcoming playoffs.

Second star: Cutter Gauthier

Where would the Ducks be without Gauthier? Probably not in the playoffs, without his team leading seven game winning goals. Not only did Gauthier break the 40-goal threshold this week, but he also led the team in scoring with three goals.

First star: Troy Terry

Even though he was not one of the best offensive producers for the Ducks this past week, Terry scored not only the last goal of the regular season for the team, but he also kept them out of the dreaded second wildcard spot.

Biggest concern

Stumbling to the finish line

The Ducks may finally have a date for the postseason, but how the team stumbled across the finish line should be a giant red flag, as they only won twice in their last ten games. What was once a comfortable led atop the Pacific Division, spiraled into a last-minute playoff clinching scenario and the Ducks nearly coughed up a slightly more favorable divisional matchup to the Los Angeles Kings. While the Ducks may have had periods of good and even dominate play during the losing streak, they have also had a penchant for giving up back-breaking goals at the most inopportune times. And against a team like the Oilers, that could be a recipe for a very short series.

What's next?

Game one, in Edmonton on Monday night. McDavid versus Carlsson. Hyman versus Gauthier. Bouchard versus LaCombe. Ingram versus Dostal. I cannot wait and I'm sure, neither can the rest of the Ducks fan base. Thanks for being here all season. We finally made it to the playoffs!

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow