The Anaheim Ducks Playoff Race Is Real in 2025-26
The Ducks entered mid-March sitting around 33-24-3, their most serious playoff push since 2018, powered by a young core that has taken a genuine leap. Cutter Gauthier leads the team with 29 goals and has posted a five-goal stretch in recent games, while rookie Beckett Sennecke has hit 20 goals and 51 points through 61 games — milestones that announced his arrival in the NHL. Joel Quenneville was honored for his 1,000th NHL coaching win at Honda Center in March, a symbolic moment for a team that finally looks like it belongs in the postseason conversation. The Ducks went 9-2-0 in their last 11 games before the Olympic break and have won five straight at home, setting up a white-knuckle sprint to the playoff cut line with 26 games remaining.
Orange and Gold: What Makes Ducks Fans Different
Honda Center turns into a wall of orange and gold on big nights, with 'Let's Go Ducks' echoing from the lower bowl to the upper deck in the kind of unified chant that only a fanbase with a 2007 Stanley Cup in its memory bank can produce. The Orange Alliance season ticket membership — with perks through The Mighty loyalty program — has built a tight-knit in-arena community that stuck around through the rebuild years and is now reaping the rewards. The day-after-Thanksgiving home game is a beloved annual tradition in Orange County, and the Freeway Faceoff against the LA Kings reliably brings out the loudest, most electric crowds of any game on the schedule.
The Freeway Faceoff: Ducks vs. LA Kings Never Gets Old
No game on the Ducks' calendar moves the needle in Southern California hockey like a Kings matchup. The Freeway Faceoff is a war for regional bragging rights along the 5 freeway corridor, where both fanbases overlap and neither forgives a loss. In January 2026, Sennecke and McTavish delivered back-to-back shootout goals to beat the Kings in L.A. — the kind of win that gets talked about in the Honda Center parking lot for weeks. With both clubs chasing playoff positioning in the Pacific, every Ducks-Kings game down the stretch carries genuine stakes beyond the rivalry itself.
Stop Missing Ducks News the Morning After It Breaks
Ducks fans have lived through eight straight playoff-less seasons, and this 2025-26 run is the most important stretch of games since 2018 — you cannot afford to be the last person in the room to know the injury update on Leo Carlsson or whether Gauthier extended his goal streak. Scoutcast delivers a personalized AI-powered audio briefing every morning built specifically around your team: Ducks roster moves, Pacific Division standings shifts, Sennecke milestones, and Quenneville strategy notes — all in under five minutes while you're getting ready. No doom-scrolling through Twitter, no wading through national hockey noise. Just your Ducks, every morning, in your ears.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Ducks are in legitimate playoff contention for the first time since 2018, sitting around 33-24-3 in mid-March. Cutter Gauthier leads the team in goals, rookie Beckett Sennecke has crossed 50 points, and the Ducks went 9-2-0 in their final 11 games before the Olympic break.
The Ducks are firmly in the playoff race with 26 games remaining, and their remaining schedule features nine opponents currently in playoff spots. Their strong home record — including a five-game win streak at Honda Center — gives them a real edge in the push to end an eight-season drought.
The rebuild core centers on Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, and Beckett Sennecke up front, with Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov anchoring a defense group where all four key blueliners are 24 or younger. Veterans Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund were added to accelerate the timeline.
Sennecke has been a revelation, posting 20 goals and 51 points through 61 games — one of the stronger rookie campaigns in the NHL this season. The 19-year-old third-overall pick from the 2024 draft has already hit double-digit power-play points and been a key piece of the Ducks' playoff push.
McTavish has become one of the most reliable centers on the roster, coming off a 48-point season in 2024-25 that set NHL career highs. In 2025-26 he has continued to be a clutch performer — his shootout goal against the Kings in January was a signature moment in the Freeway Faceoff rivalry.
The Ducks last qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2017-18. They have missed the postseason for eight consecutive seasons since, making the current 2025-26 run the most anticipated stretch of Ducks hockey in nearly a decade.