Ducks clinch return

The Anaheim Ducks are back in the National Hockey League playoffs after missing the field for seven straight seasons. (nhl.com) Anaheim clinched Monday, April 13, while idle at 42-32-6, when the Nashville Predators lost 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks. The berth is the Ducks’ 15th in franchise history and their first since 2018. (nhl.com) The standings were still tight late Monday night. Anaheim had 90 points in 80 games, Edmonton also had 90 points in 80 games with the tiebreaker, and Los Angeles had 86 points in 81 games with one game left. (espn.com) That left the Pacific Division order unsettled even after the Ducks got in. National Hockey League media said Anaheim was tied for second in the division, one point behind Vegas, with two regular-season games remaining. (nhl.com) The return follows a long rebuild in Anaheim. National Hockey League media said the Ducks had finished no higher than sixth in their division during the seven-year playoff drought. (nhl.com) The roster changed sharply during that climb. Forward Cutter Gauthier led Anaheim with 40 goals and 67 points in 74 games, Leo Carlsson had 66 points in 68 games, and rookie Beckett Sennecke had 60 points in 80 games. (nhl.com) Anaheim also pushed for help at the trade deadline. The Ducks acquired defenseman John Carlson from the Washington Capitals on March 5, and National Hockey League media said he had 12 points in his first 14 games with Anaheim. (nhl.com; nhl.com) Behind the bench, the Ducks turned to Joel Quenneville on May 8, 2025, after firing Greg Cronin on April 19, 2025. Quenneville’s hiring also drew scrutiny because he had been out of the league since resigning from the Florida Panthers in 2021 after he was named in an independent investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks’ handling of Kyle Beach’s sexual assault allegation. (nhl.com) Quenneville delivered a playoff berth in his first season in Anaheim, and he reached 1,000 career National Hockey League wins on February 25 in a 6-5 victory over Edmonton. The Ducks also raised their scoring to 3.23 goals per game after finishing in the bottom three of the league in each of the previous three seasons. (nhl.com) Anaheim’s next game is Tuesday at the Minnesota Wild, and the National Hockey League said the postseason begins Saturday. After seven years out, the Ducks now have two games left to sort out where their return starts. (nhl.com)