The good and the bad from the Anaheim Ducks game one loss

After a regular season filled with ups and downs, the Ducks fell just short in their first playoff appearance in eight years, losing to the Edmonton Oilers by a final score of 4-3 in game one of the first round. The game was a microcosm of the Ducks' 2025-26 season, as they had moments of greatness, that were thwarted by untimely mistakes, which ultimately cost them. However, as with any series, one game does not dictate the final result. Here are some of the key aspects from game one, both good and bad, that Ducks could lean on or learn from, for the rest of the series.

The good

The top two delivered

Much was made about the young core of the Ducks being inexperienced in post season play, but after a first period of rocky adversity, the young guns for the Ducks asserted themselves. The new dynamic duo of Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry was the driving force behind the team's offensive success in game one, as they both accounted for all of the Ducks goals. Carlsson netted his first playoff goal off of a rebound from a Terry shot.

While Terry had two goals, with his second temporarily giving the Ducks the lead on the powerplay.

The Oilers were hard matching the McDavid line against the Carlsson/Terry line, and despite facing the best player in the NHL, the Ducks' top two still thrived.

McDavid did not get a point

In our series preview, we noted the significance of holding Connor McDavid off the scoreboard, as the Oilers had not won a game in which he did register a point. If the Ducks were capable of pulling off this miraculous feat at least once, they stood a good chance of winning the series. McDavid did get his chances, but the Ducks were keen on collapsing with at least two and sometimes even three skaters, halting the superstar's progress. While the end result did not yield a victory, the Ducks at least have a proof of concept and something to replicate as the series moves along.

Top pair held serve

The top pairing of Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba did their best to mitigate the damage from the Oilers' top scoring threats. And for the most part, LaCombe and Trouba held up in 20:46 of ice time and had a 62 expected goals percentage at five-on-five play. Trouba was adept at using his stick to disrupt plays from attacking and much more fleet off foot forwards, while LaCombe was there to support with clean break out passes, digging out pucks along the boards, and walking the blue line, waiting for a seam to open. LaCombe also delivered one the of the game's most memorable moments, with a vicious reverse hit on Zach Hyman in the third period.

The bad

No depth scoring

Despite the uplift of seeing both Carlsson and Terry have offensive success, the rest of the Ducks forward depth disappointed. Beckett Sennecke mitigated his mistakes and had a solid game but could not bury any of his chances. Cutter Gauthier was nearly invisible all game, until the Ducks had pulled Lukas Dostal for the extra attacker. Mason McTavish was aggressive but could not let loose with his patented one-timer. Tim Washe actually scored the opening goal for the Ducks but was immediately ruled off for goal tender interference. Mikael Granlund was the closest to providing that extra goal the Ducks needed but whiffed on a wide-open net.

Untimely mistakes

The Ducks season has been marred by stretches of great play that became undone with one or two catastrophic errors, and game one against the Oilers, was no different. The first was Chris Kreider attempting a blind behind the back pass in the neutral zone, that gave the Oilers an easy zone entry for the 2-0 lead.

Radko Gudas lost an edge and fell down, in the middle of the third period, leading to an odd man rush the other way and another easy goal.

The dagger though was the go-ahead goal, as the Ducks defense got too puck focused on the play behind the net, leaving Kapanen open in the slot, which has been an all too familiar sight for Dostal and Ducks fans this season.

McDavid did not get a point

And the Ducks still lost, which was a clear missed oppurtunity. McDavid is far too skilled to be held in check all series, especially when the Ducks have a tendency to implode at the wrong time.

Final thoughts

Despite the end result, the Ducks still played better than anticipated. The first period was rocky, as the Oilers flexed their playoff tested advantage and the Ducks were getting their collective feet underneath them. Once down on the scoreboard though, the Ducks played with the urgency and pace fans have become accustomed to, nearly pulling off the win. For their first playoff game, this group of Ducks at least showed that they can keep up with the Oilers.

What's next?

The opening round series will continue on Wednesday night (7 pm local time) in Edmonton for game two. If the Ducks play that same kind of game, hopefully without the backbreaking errors, they could come home to Anaheim with a 1-1 split in the series.

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