Ducks clinch playoff berth for 1st time since 2018

The Anaheim Ducks have some postseason hockey to prepare for, as they are headed to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nearly 10 years.

The Ducks have the San Jose Sharks to thank for their ticket to the 2026 NHL playoffs following the latter’s 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Monday night at Bridgestone Arena.

Anaheim had missed the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons, and the last time the Ducks made the postseason, they did not last long, as they were eliminated in the first round of the 2018 playoffs by, well, the Sharks.

Head coach Joel Quenneville, who is no stranger to success in the playoffs, will look to add to his postseason resume, this time with the Ducks. He won three Stanley Cup titles as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010s and is in his first season on the job with Anaheim.

Although the Ducks don’t need to win any of their last two games this season to make the playoffs, they can still use those outings to gain some steam. Moreover, they have the potential to top the Pacific Division. The Ducks have 90 points, just a point behind the Vegas Golden Knights and tied with the Edmonton Oilers in the standings at the time of this writing.

Anaheim is in ugly form of late, having lost seven of its last eight games, including Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks in the Ducks’ home game of the regular season.

The Ducks will play the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, then face the Predators on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

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