Encouraging and Concerning Trends Have Emerged Through Anaheim Ducks First Three Games of 2025-26

“Small sample size” is a phrase that should be read and heard more at this time of year. To date, every team in the NHL has only played three to five games in the 2025-26 season. Grand, overarching statements should be tempered.

The Anaheim Ducks are one of the few teams to have only three games under their belt this season. They’re also unique in that all three of the teams they’ve played to date have been projected to finish well below them in the standings or even in the basement: the Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Takeaways from the Ducks 3-1 Loss to the Kraken

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-6 OT Win over the Sharks

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 Win over the Penguins

The Ducks are 2-1-0 and, at 5v5, rank first in the NHL in shot attempts per 60 minutes (95.96), second in high-danger scoring chances per 60 (18.78), and third in expected goals for per 60 (3.78). They also rank in the bottom five in each of those categories at 5v5 on the defensive side.

The Ducks’ roster features seven players averaging a point per game or better (Chris Kreider, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauther, Mikael Granlund, Troy Terry). Their power play is converting at a 36.4% clip (4-11) and leads the NHL by wide margins in categories such as shots/60 (99.49), shot attempts/60 (206.36), and expected goals/60 (17.25).

All that is to say that the 2025-26 season is very much still in its infancy, and everything should be taken with a gargantuan grain of salt, especially for the Ducks, who’ve played three projected bottom-dwellers. However, these games do count, and teams can only play who’s on the schedule. Every game is worth two standings points, and there are aspects to be analyzed, regardless of sample, whether they are encouraging or concerning.

Essentially, everything about the Ducks’ offense through three games can be seen as positive. From the eye test to the traditional numbers to the underlying statistics, the organization feels like it’s been hit with a breath of fresh air as the new systems match the roster’s strengths as a whole.

Power Play

The Ducks had the NHL’s worst power play a year ago, and early results, as well as structure and how it operates, couldn’t look any different. Assistant coach Jay Woodcroft has added elements of what made his Edmonton Oilers’ power plays some of the most productive during his time there.

On the top unit, with Chris Kreider at the net front and releasing to the goal line or low slot when needed, Leo Carlsson operates on the left flank, gaining speed and attacking downhill. Carlsson, along with Troy Terry, Mikael Granlund, and Jackson LaCombe, all weave and switch throughout the power play structure, with the objectives being to make short passes from the goal line or perimeter to the bumper or back post.

Transition Offense

The Ducks’ attack is built on puck possession, keeping the puck on their sticks as they build and create plays, not only in the offensive zone, but also on breakouts and regroups.

Where in years past, the Ducks would resort to high flips out of the defensive zone or stretch passes to stationary outlets in the neutral zone, with the intent of tipping pucks deep to establish a forecheck, the objective now is to connect on shorter passes in the defensive and neutral zones to gain the offensive blueline with possession.

Cycle Offense

In previous seasons, and specifically the last two, the Ducks’ main objective in the offensive zone was to funnel pucks to the high danger areas of the ice from every angle, to send ample traffic to the netfront, and to create chaos in the slot with the intent of capitalizing on broken plays.

Early in the season, the defensemen are holding onto pucks at the point in search of more optimal passing or shooting lanes, while forwards are keeping their feet moving with the puck on their stick to draw defenders out of position.

While the objective isn’t shot volume, increased shot volume has become the result of the Ducks’ offense as a byproduct of the consistent movement in the offensive zone from all five players. They’re in better positions to win pucks back after shots are taken.

As if in a perfect balance in the early stages, the areas in which the Ducks are thriving at one end of the ice are the areas where they’re struggling at the other: defensive zone coverage and transition defense. The Ducks have done well to stick to their game plan, but have struggled to recover when their “plan A” breaks down.

Defensive Zone Coverage

The objective of the Ducks’ new coverage is to pressure early with quick support while protecting the low slot. For the most part, they’ve done well to accomplish that, but have had a few breakdowns when boxing out forwards in front of the net, leading to deflections and a few goals. If that becomes an area of focus, in theory, it could prove an easy fix.

Transition Defense

As mentioned, when breakouts or regroups are disrupted in the neutral zone, the Ducks have had a difficult time recovering, often seeming like they’re on their heels and unprepared for a counterattack.

When plays go the other way, forwards have done well to get back into the play more often than not, putting themselves in good defensive positions to break up attacks. However, once they’ve found themselves deep in the defensive zone, they’ve played a bit too aggressively, committing heavily to the puck carrier and allowing the opposing trailing forward to remain open in soft ice. Again, something easily cleaned up if treated properly.

The Ducks’ first true litmus test will come tonight as they host the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that, if those mistakes continue, will end up putting pucks in the back of the Ducks’ net more often than not. They’re a high-shot-volume team, so one wouldn’t expect to win the analytics battle, but it will prove a decent indication of where they’re at and where they’ll need to improve if they truly have eyes on the 2026 playoffs, as has been their stated goal.

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