The Anaheim Ducks returned home, facing elimination for the first time this postseason after falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime in Game 5.
Pavel Dorofeyev was the star of the show, scoring two goals––including the overtime winner––to give the Golden Knights a pivotal 3-2 series lead heading back to Honda Center. The Ducks lost forward Ryan Poehling to injury in the first period after a late hit from Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb. McNabb had a hearing with NHL Player Safety on Wednesday and was suspended for Game 6. Kaeden Korczak drew back into the lineup in his absence.
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Takeaways from the Ducks’ 3-2 Overtime Loss to the Golden Knights, Vegas Leads Series 3-2
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2, Game 6 – Ducks vs. Golden Knights Gameday Preview (05/14/26)
With Poehling out, Jansen Harkins drew back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch in Games 3 and 4. Mason McTavish slid into the middle to center the third line with Jeff Viel and Cutter Gauthier. No other lineup changes were made.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start Game 5:
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke
McTavish-Poehling-Gauthier
Johnston-Washe-Viel
LaCombe-Trouba
Mintyukov-Carlson
Zellweger-Moore
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Lukáš Dostál and Carter Hart faced one another once again, with Dostál stopping 16 of 21 shots and Hart stopping 31 of 32 shots.
Game 6 was almost reminiscent of Game 3 from the jump, with the Ducks conceding a goal on the first shot against and then giving up a shorthanded goal. Mitch Marner was at the forefront of the action once again, as he was in Game 3. He scored the first Vegas goal and had the primary assist on Brett Howden’s shorthanded tally. Shea Theodore’s power play tally saw the Ducks facing a three-goal deficit at the end of the first period.
Joel Quenneville swapped Troy Terry and Beckett Sennecke after the second period, which gave Leo Carlsson’s line a bit more speed. The Golden Knights showed why they have been a playoff contender almost every season of their existence, refusing to play a safe game and continuing to push back against Anaheim’s attempts to erase their deficit. Their plethora of playoff experience was evident in this one. Anaheim made a push in the second and third, but the early 3-0 hole was too much to overcome.
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Power Play-The power play was a very sore spot for the Ducks in this series, as the Golden Knights killed off all but four of the 21 opportunities that the Ducks had. The Ducks also gave up two shorthanded goals.
Anaheim’s power play success against the Oilers wasn’t going to be replicated, but there were times when they were unable to even generate momentum on the man advantage. Though they did get a power play goal in this game courtesy of Mikael Granlund, the power play did not shift the tide nearly enough overall.
Olen Zellweger-Zellweger continues to give the Ducks a dynamic option on the blue line, capable of creating offense with both his skating and shot. Where Jackson LaCombe has taken a bit of a backseat offensively in the past few games, Zellweger has grabbed that opportunity by the horns. It led to more ice time for the second consecutive game as he was paired with John Carlson down the stretch.
John Carlson-Carlson was a non-factor in this game and most of the series, quite frankly. He registered just one point and was a minus-4. He was walked several times in Game 4 and his attempt to go off the wall in the defensive zone led directly to a goal against in Game 5. The savvy, veteran plays he was pulling off in the Oilers series were few and far between in the Vegas series, with his lack of foot speed unable to cover up some of his mistakes.
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Ryan Poehling-The Ducks really missed Poehling in this game, as they didn’t have a bridge to cover the gap between Carlsson/Granlund and Washe. While McTavish and Gauthier drove play well in Game 4 without Poehling, they couldn’t quite replicate that in Game 5. Some of that may have been due to the absence of Poehling, who also holds a big role on the penalty kill.
The Ducks’ season comes to an end after securing a playoff berth for the first time in eight seasons. They also won their first playoff series in nine seasons. While their season is over, their young core gained plenty of experience, which they can pull from heading into next season.
Goaltending-While Lukáš Dostál isn’t solely to blame for this loss, he was outplayed by Carter Hart in this one. The dreaded “first shot, first goal” trend which has followed Dostál into the playoffs reared its head once again. He did play well in Game 5, which makes that overtime loss sting a bit more. This is the most games Dostál has ever started in his pro career, including a stint at the Winter Olympics in February. It’s also important to remember that next season will be just his second as the full-time starter.
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