Ducks invigorated by end-of-February playoff race after consecutive franchise-worst seasons

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Each of the last two seasons, the Anaheim Ducks were 25 points out of a playoff spot as the end of February rolled around. With the two worst seasons in franchise history, the Ducks would ultimately finish 39 points and 37 points out of the playoffs.

This year, it’s a different feeling in the Anaheim locker room as the calendar flips to March.

Thanks to a hot streak on either side of the two-week 4 Nations Face-Off break, including a comeback victory over the current owner of the final wild card spot–the Vancouver Canucks–on Thursday, the Ducks are six points out of a playoff position and in the thick of the hunt on the final day of February.

“It’s really, really exciting,” Ducks forward Mason McTavish said. “I think guys have been really just kind of starving to play in meaningful games here, and we set ourselves up for that down the stretch here. I know guys are extremely excited and kind of do anything we can to get in the playoffs.”

On Jan. 22, Anaheim had lost seven of eight and was five games under .500 and nine points out of a playoff spot. The dream was fading.

Now, the Ducks are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games and pushed over .500 twice for the first time since October. Anaheim is 8-1-1 in its last 10 home games, including wins in five straight at Honda Center. That home streak is the Ducks’ second-longest in the last seven seasons.

“Playing meaningful games right now, I think it was the goal for all of us after last year to be able to be in this position and even be in the picture for a playoff push,” Ducks captain Radko Gudas said. “For us, it’s fun times, and this is where the most fun hockey happens. For all the guys that were here, it's refreshing. It's nice to see that we're capable of winning important games and games that are tight.”

A big key in this latest run for Anaheim is simply belief.

The Ducks’ two-goal comeback in a 5-2 win over Vancouver on Thursday was the team’s sixth multi-goal comeback win of the season, which ties them for second-most in the NHL with Minnesota, Montreal and Edmonton. Only Seattle has more with seven.

“It’s a crazy difference,” Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe said. “Obviously, we were losing a lot more games last year, and it just kind of beats you down over a season. I think our group’s shown a lot of resilience to where we are now, and obviously we’ve still got a long ways to go. We're just believing we can win games and we're competing every night.”

As LaCombe alluded to, there are still 24 games left in this season, and a lot can happen down the stretch, especially with another match-up with the Canucks in Vancouver on Wednesday. The Ducks host St. Louis next Friday and travel to Utah on March 12 and to St. Louis on March 16.

The Canucks are currently in the last wild card spot at 65 points. Calgary is just outside at 64 points, followed closely by Utah at 63 points and the Blues at 62 points. Anaheim is chasing with 59 points.

The Ducks (58 games) have two games in hand on Utah and St. Louis (60 games) and one with Vancouver (59 games). Calgary has also played 58 games.

“Last year this time, we’re not even in this conversation,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “They wake up, they look at the scores, they look at the standings, they know the importance of this game. 

“It's just a great thing for the organization, too, to see how players respond to it, right? When you're playing meaningless games, it's different energy, different accountability, different intensity. The whole dynamics is different. 
Now, for the organization, they've got that long view. Let's see how guys respond to this.”

The last time Anaheim was this close to the playoffs was three years ago, when the Ducks were two points out of the playoffs on Feb. 28, 2022 and four games over .500. Anaheim would finish that season 21 points out of the playoffs.

In 2021, Anaheim was five points out of the playoffs, but also four games under .500 in the division-only post-pandemic schedule. The Ducks would finish 20 points out of a playoff spot.

At the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, Anaheim was five points out of a qualifiers spot and 12 points out of a normal playoff spot.

In 2019, the Ducks were 11 points out at the end of February and seven games under .500. Anaheim finished 10 points out.

The Ducks last made the playoffs in 2018 and have been climbing up that hill ever since.

Now, Anaheim is back in the thick of it, and even if the Ducks don’t break that postseason barrier this season, it is clear evidence of growth for the young Ducks.

"Everyone wants to be playing important games at this time of year, and obviously the past few years, it sucks when you're out of the playoffs after the All-Star break." Ducks forward Frank Vatrano said. "It's nice for these younger guys to kind of get a taste of what it's like in crunch time and how every point matters and how every play matters and kind of learning how to play the right way."

Anaheim will look to match its longest home win streak over the last seven seasons hosting the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.