The Ducks are in uncharted territory, holding a 2-1 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in their first playoff series since 2018. Led by Troy Terry and Jackson LaCombe, they have pushed back the Oilers and made them uncomfortable. The likes of LaCombe, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke have grabbed the spotlight in their playoff series debuts, powering the Ducks with their youth and, perhaps, their ignorance.
The ability to play freely and without care has been a driving force behind Anaheim's first trip to the playoffs in eight seasons. Their relentlessness and resilience have been a common theme all season, and it has now extended into the playoffs. After "dipping their toes in" in Game 1, as Alex Killorn put it, the Ducks have now rattled off consecutive wins. They've scored 5+ goals in each of those wins as well.
"I always said, a long time ago in Chicago, I'm not worried about scoring goals. I want to keep the puck out of our net," Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said.
"We don't rely one one line to score, and that's really helpful for our team," Killorn said. "Our defense are contributing and anyone can score at any moment, so that's important for us."
"We always talk about the word 'balance'. We've still got to be better. I think every game, we've got to make sure we keep the puck out of our net. I know the challenge is different than most teams. I think we're playing the score, we're playing the way the game is going. But I still think we've got to be tighter in our end."
Apr 24, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Tyson Hinds (60) fights for the puck against Edmonton Oilers center Trent Frederic (10) during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images"We're gonna make mistakes," Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba said. "We're still gonna continue to make mistakes. We're learning on the fly here. But there's no quit in the group, there's no letdown. We believe we can score goals, we believe we can defend well enough, we believe we can win hockey games. I think that's what it's all about right now."
After a 10-game stretch where they went 2-6-2 to conclude the season, followed by a late collapse in Game 1, the Ducks have managed to right the ship. Often times, a playoff-bound team that ends the season well carries their momentum into the postseason. Most teams would prefer to finish out the regular season well, but many Ducks players saw the playoffs as a "second season" and an opportunity wipe the slate clean from their final 10 regular season games.
"That's just kind of the make-up of this group and what we have," Trouba said. "Going through the nine-game losing streak (in December and January) wasn't necessarily a bad thing for us at the time. You're gonna get the ebbs and flows and some adversity and momentum swings during the postseason.
"If you don't ever really go through those moments as a group––you're tested, how'd you get out of it or what did you revert back to? That's kind of the core of your belief, as the group needs to play. I think we've kind of been tested at times where things weren't going well and we've found a way to dig out. End of the year, kind of (the) same thing. We didn't love our end of the regular season and (found) a way to run back to what we want to do and find our game."
Being down 2-1 in a series isn't something the Oilers haven't seen before. Per Oilers play-by-play commentator Jack Michaels, the Oilers have won six straight Game 4s when trailing a series 2-1. Under head coach Kris Knoblauch, they're 11-16 in Games 1-3 and 19-4 in Games 4-7.
Apr 7, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris knoblauch watches play against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images"We're expecting a big push from them, like any team in that situation," Killorn said. "They're going to come out strong, we understand that. So we look forward to the matchup tonight and what that's going to bring."
“We anticipate this being the hardest game, and we feel that we have to improve from each game,” Quenneville said. “And we've improved our team game in each game, and we're going to have to continue with that type of mindset tonight.”
There is a potential goaltending change brewing for the Oilers, with Knoblauch non-committal on who their Game 4 starter would. Connor Ingram was under siege in Game 3, facing 20 shots in the first period and allowing six goals in total.
Tristan Jarry was acquired earlier this season from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Stuart Skinner, but didn’t prove capable of holding down the starting job, leading to Ingram’s appointment at the starting goaltender for the first round.
Oilers forward Jason Dickinson will be a game-time decision for Game 4. He missed Games 2 and 3 with a lower-body injury. Ducks forward Troy Terry was again absent from Sunday’s morning skate for maintenance, but will play in Game 4.
Ducks Projected Lines
Troy Terry - Leo Carlsson - Cutter Gauthier
Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
Chris Kreider - Ryan Poehling - Mason McTavish
Jeff Viel - Tim Washe - Ian Moore
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - John Carlson
Tyson Hinds - Drew Helleson
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Oilers Projected Lines
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Jack Roslovic
Vasily Podkolzin - Leon Draisaitl - Kasperi Kapanen
Matt Savoie - Jason Dickinson - Zach Hyman
Colton Dach - Josh Samanski - Trent Frederic
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse - Connor Murphy
Jake Walman - Ty Emberson
Tristan Jarry (projected)