Ducks Wrap Up Their Season with Game 6 Loss to Golden Knights
The Anaheim Ducks’ remarkable playoff journey concluded on Thursday with a decisive 5-1 defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The loss, marked by early goals from Mitch Marner and Brett Howden within the first nine minutes, left many fans still taking their seats at Honda Center by the time Vegas had established a commanding lead.
As the Golden Knights advance to face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals next week, the Ducks will begin their summer earlier than anticipated. However, this season’s playoff run marks their latest start to the offseason since 2017, the year they last reached the second round. Despite the disappointing end, there are positives for the Ducks to celebrate.
The Ducks, largely comprised of youth, were not expected to make a long playoff run. Fourteen players on the roster had no previous postseason experience, and many had not played on winning NHL teams before. Surprisingly, their youth and inexperience became assets rather than liabilities. The team dispatched the Edmonton Oilers, recent finalists in the Stanley Cup, in the first round and outperformed the more experienced Golden Knights for much of their series matchup.
Young players stepped up during the playoffs, with rookie Beckett Sennecke netting four goals and an assist over six games. Winger Cutter Gauthier, also a rookie, led the Ducks with 12 points in his playoff debut. Defenseman Olen Zellwenger contributed a goal and assist in his first two playoff games, while Olympic gold medalist Jackson LaCombe, who led the team in ice time, recorded 10 points in his first postseason.
The Ducks’ core appears well-positioned for the future, and the playoff experience gained this season will be invaluable. Unfortunately, the magical moment came to an abrupt end as Colorado took a 1-0 lead just 62 seconds into Game 6.
Marner’s breakaway goal opened the scoring, showcasing his skill after receiving a precise two-line pass from William Karlsson. He maneuvered past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal, placing the puck neatly inside the right post for his seventh goal of the playoffs. Just seven and a half minutes later, Howden added a shorthanded goal, putting the Ducks’ playoff aspirations in jeopardy as his eighth goal temporarily led all postseason scorers.
Shea Theodore extended the lead to 3-0 with a goal off a faceoff during a power play later in the first period, resulting in a dominant performance that left the Ducks trailing by three at intermission.
Despite their impressive record of 26 comeback wins during the regular season, the Ducks struggled to rebound against the composed Golden Knights. Booed off the ice after the first period, the Ducks managed to regroup and dominated the second period. Mikael Granlund finally found the back of the net with a power-play goal at 12:46.
However, two goals from Pavel Dorofeyev in the final period sealed the Ducks’ fate, pushing his playoff total to nine goals and surpassing Howden for the lead. The Ducks left the ice for the season, but not without valuable lessons learned during this unexpected playoff run.
