The Hockey News' Derek Lee previews the Ducks' first playoff game in eight years.
The day is finally here. After eight years, the Ducks are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their opponent, the battle-tested Edmonton Oilers, have finished the previous two seasons as the Stanley Cup Final runner-up.
"You look at the regular season, it's a big grind," Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. It's long, especially when you have two deep (playoff) runs in recent history. It's hard to get up for every game, I'm not gonna lie. But this time of year, everybody, you've got to do everything. You've got to get yourself geared up and get going here."
"It's the best time of year," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "This is the time you want to play in. It's a long season, and we've had a lot of experience in the playoffs, so it's nice to be back."
Mar 28, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (18) trips up Anaheim Ducks defensemen Jackson LaCombe (2) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn ImagesThe Ducks and Oilers finished the season one point apart in the standings, with the latter taking advantage of the former's slump in the final 10 games of the regular season (2-6-2) to close the gap and grab home ice.
"Yeah, absolutely," Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke said on being able to turn the page and get off to a fresh start in the playoffs. "A lot of us, this is our first playoff game, so we're all super excited. This is something we've been looking forward to for a long time."
A majority of Anaheim's roster has never played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. None of their top-5 points leaders this season has ever played in an NHL playoff game before, though Chris Kreider (sixth) and Mikael Granlund (seventh) have a combined 200 games of NHL playoff experience between them.
Another player on the Ducks roster with plenty of playoff experience is captain Radko Gudas, who has played in 57 playoff games. His last playoff appearance was in 2023 with the Florida Panthers, when they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
"Very exciting," Gudas said. "This is the goal we set for ourselves at the start of the season. We're excited to get a few games in, a lot of firsts for a lot of our guys. Just a lot of excitement in the room. Looking forward to hard work ahead of us."
Apr 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) moves the puck against Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas (7) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images"They say the first round's always the hardest," Ducks forward Ryan Poehling said. "It's just the physicality, the energy. Everyone's ready to go. You've got that big bump in energy. So I think that's the biggest thing, just being prepared mentally and just meeting it head-on, being the aggressor. You don't want them to come at you, you want to go with them and get lost in the moment."
"They said (to) just kind of try and weather the storm in the first five minutes," Sennecke said. "Everyone's super excited, especially in Game 1. And then get physical. Every little detail, they said, can change a game, can change a series, so it's just making sure that you're playing 100% and managing the puck properly."
"If you want to win, you've got to play without the puck," Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "You've got to check and you've got to make sure that you prioritize that, especially against a team that can score and has a lethal power play. So, let's go make sure we avoid taking unnecessary or careless penalties. But, we've got to play well with the puck as well and manage it as best we can, too."
Leon Draisaitl and Jason Dickinson are expected to return to the lineup for Edmonton. Draisaitl missed the final month of the regular season due to a lower-body injury, while Dickinson missed the final three games of the regular season due to a leg injury.
Troy Terry was absent from Anaheim's morning skate, but Quenneville confirmed that Terry will be in the lineup for Game 1.
Ducks Projected Lines
Chris Kreider - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
Mason McTavish - Ryan Poehling - Cutter Gauthier
Jeff Viel - Tim Washe - Ian Moore
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - John Carlson
Tyson Hinds - Radko Gudas
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Oilers Projected Lines
Matt Savoie - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin - Leon Draisaitl - Kasperi Kapanen
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jason Dickinson - Jack Roslovic
Colton Dach - Adam Henrique - Trent Frederic
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse - Connor Murphy
Jake Walman - Ty Emberson
Connor Ingram (confirmed)
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