The Anaheim Ducks may have lost their last home game against the St. Louis Blues with a very lackluster effort, but they are still firmly entrenched in the race for the playoffs. Since the mid-season mark, the Ducks have gone from careening off a cliff, to jockeying with the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers for the top seed in the Pacific Division. With a 14-4 record in their past 18 games and a 90.9% chance of making the playoffs, the first postseason appearance for the Ducks in seven seasons is all but guaranteed.
Olympics and Injuries
The NHL took a three-week break in February, while some of its players competed in the 2026 Winter Olympics and the Ducks had a few skaters representing their home countries. Jackson LaCombe brought home a gold medal for Team USA, Mikael Granlund captained Team Finland and secured a bronze medal, Radko Gudas made all of Canada mad, Lukas Dostal finally looked like himself, and Damian Clara probably forced GM Pat Verbeek to field a couple of trade calls.
However, Granlund left the Olympic tournament with an injury and only recently re-entered the Ducks lineup. Troy Terry has only played in 46 games and is still listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. Leo Carlsson missed the entire Olympic tournament with a leg injury but has rounded back into his early season form. The newly acquired John Carlson has yet to suit up in an Anaheim sweater, as he is also listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury.
And despite all those injuries to some of their key skaters, the Ducks still managed to surge into the playoff picture. One of the biggest questions for the remainder of the season though, is what the lineup will look like when everyone is finally healthy. Fans have not seen a complete lineup since the beginning of the season, and at the very least, the offense should be even more effective.
Unsung hero
Cutter Gauthier
With a recent goal scoring streak, Gauthier now leads the Ducks in scoring with 57 points (32 goals, 25 assists). Gauthier has also been a high-volume shooter all season, with his 236 shots on net, second to only Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (280).
CUTTER GAUTHIER SCORES THE GAME-WINNING GOAL! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/l0Q7mLnMhU
— NHL (@NHL) February 26, 2026
The pairing of Carlsson and Gauthier on the top line, has paid dividends for the Ducks, as the duo possess incredible speed with Carlsson being the facilitator and Gauthier being the finisher. The pair are beginning to give off Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry vibes, another amazing duo from the Ducks of yesteryear.
Scapegoat
Mason McTavish
A hot start to his season, had Ducks fans feeling good about the supposed number two center of the future. McTavish's play though, has cratered as of late with only four points (two goals, two assists) in 13 games. Even with Beckett Sennecke as his primary winger, McTavish has failed to generate offense, while Sennecke has been leading the rookie scoring race.
The Ducks coaching staff seems to have lost confidence in McTavish, as his ice time has dropped to 14:22 per game and he was even demoted to third line wing in the loss against the Blues. Ryan Poehling. on the other hand, has seen his ice time increase up to 17: 17 per game, as he has been leaned on more in place of McTavish, during key situations in games.
With the playoffs on the horizon, McTavish has to find his game again, or the Ducks will face an early exit without their number two center playing up to his potential.
Management and coaching
GM Verbeek finally rewarded the Ducks with a big deadline addition, just not one anyone had anticipated. The Carlson trade will not only bring the perfect righty-lefty balance to the Ducks blue line but add another solid veteran that should boost the Ducks chances of winning a playoff round. While the trade of Ryan Strome for minimal value was disheartening, the extra cap space will be crucial for signings in the summer.
Head Coach Joel Quenneville did a solid job of putting an emphasis on team defense, while Carlsson, Terry, and Granlund were out with injuries. Missing their top skaters could have sunk the season, but Quenneville had the team focused on how to win with what limited personnel they had. However, that two weeks stretch of solid defensive play has regressed again and the Ducks have gone back to their old habit of winning high scoring games. While fun to watch, that style cannot be conducive to the tighter play in the postseason.
Finish in the top three
Instead of settling for just making the playoffs as a wildcard, the Ducks are now well positioned to finish in the top three of the Pacific. While there are no guarantees once the playoffs begin, as easier path would be to start with a divisional opponent versus finishing as a wildcard and having to face the Avalanche in the opening round. The Ducks are well positioned to do so too, as Vegas is struggling with injuries of their own and Edmonton can't get a save, still. The path to the division crown is within reach and the Ducks have less than 20 games to grab it.