Despite being idle on Monday night, the Anaheim Ducks officially clinched a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs thanks to a 3-2 victory by the San Jose Sharks over the Nashville Predators.
The clinch marks the first time postseason hockey will return to the Honda Center since the 2017-18 season, ending a grueling seven-year drought.
YOUR ANAHEIM DUCKS ARE BACK IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS!!!!#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/FD75H7Z14j
— x - Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 14, 2026
A massive share of the credit for Anaheim’s resurgence belongs to head coach Joel Quenneville. Earlier this season, Quenneville reached a historic milestone on the Anaheim bench, becoming just the second coach in NHL history to record 1,000 career wins during a 6-5 thriller against the Edmonton Oilers on February 25.
Meanwhile, Cutter Gauthier has emerged as a premier NHL sniper, leading the team with 40 goals and 67 points, Leo Carlsson has tallied 66 points, Beckett Sennecke has tallied 60 points and defenseman John Carlson has provided a steadying presence on the blueline, including recording his first career NHL hat trick against San Jose on April 9.
Anaheim still has a chance to clinch home-ice advantage through the first couple rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With three games left in the campaign, the Ducks (42-32-5) are tied for second in the Pacific Division with the Vegas Golden Knights, both one point back of the first-place Edmonton Oilers.