The Anaheim Ducks are heading to Sin City for Round Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, set to face the Vegas Golden Knights after a hard-fought six-game series win over the Edmonton Oilers. Vegas punched their ticket by eliminating the Utah Mammoth in six games, capped by a dominant 5-1 victory in Game 6 on Friday night.
If regular season matchups are any indication, this series promises fireworks. The Ducks swept the Golden Knights in all three meetings this season, with two of those games going to overtime and each finishing with a thrilling 4-3 scoreline. It marked just the second time Anaheim has won the season series since Vegas joined the league in 2017—a sign that this young Ducks squad is ready for the bright lights.
Vegas brings a familiar blend of championship pedigree and offensive firepower. Many core members of the 2023 Stanley Cup-winning roster remain, led by forwards Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Eichel was especially sharp in the first round, racking up eight points—tied for third-most among all skaters. The Golden Knights will lean on that experience against a Ducks team that's quickly building its own playoff identity.
Anaheim's defensive backbone will be tested once again. After Jackson LaCombe admirably handled the task of shadowing Connor McDavid—arguably the best player in the world—in Round One, he and Jacob Trouba are expected to take on Vegas's top line of Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, and Pavel Dorofeyev. Dorofeyev made headlines in Game 5 of the first round, scoring in the final minute to complete a hat trick and force overtime. LaCombe also impressed offensively, collecting nine points in his first-ever playoff series, tied for second among all skaters in the opening round.
The goaltending battle could ultimately decide this series. Anaheim's Lukáš Dostál struggled at times in Round One, posting a .874 save percentage and a 3.87 goals-against average. He was pulled in Game 5 after allowing three goals on nine shots but bounced back strong in the series-clinching Game 6, stopping 25 of 27 shots. "I feel like I kind of got that day and a half," Dostál said after the win. "And that I have the time to recover physically and mentally."
On the other side, Vegas used three different goaltenders during the regular season before Carter Hart took the reins down the stretch. Hart won his final six regular-season starts, though his first-round performance left room for improvement. With both netminders looking to find their groove, this series could come down to which team's goalie gets hot at the right time.
For fans gearing up to watch, this is the kind of high-stakes hockey that defines the playoffs—speed, skill, and a little bit of Vegas magic. Whether you're backing the Ducks' rise or the Golden Knights' experience, one thing is certain: Round Two is shaping up to be unforgettable.