Make it three wins in a row for the Anaheim Ducks as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. In the second game of a home and home series against the Kings, the Ducks picked up a much-needed win and even more importantly, another couple standings points. After seeing their season careen down a cliff, a 3-0 week brought stability to a Ducks team that had be scrambling to stay within shouting distance of a playoff spot. There are now five teams, including the Ducks, within a point of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. But that would not have been possible without some stellar performances from the Ducks.

Three stars of the weekThird star: Lukas Dostal

The nominal starter for the Ducks, Dostal put up much more respectable numbers (.943 save percentage and 1.44 goals against average), allowing only three goals on 53 shots, across two games. However, goaltending has been a problem recently and a couple bounce back performances from Dostal, helped steer the Ducks back on course.

The DostWall comes up BIG 🧱🧱🧱#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/WP5Ge5wwYw

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 17, 2026Second star: Beckett Sennecke

With injuries and illness plaguing the lineup for the Ducks, Sennecke has stepped up into a more elevated role. Not only did he lead the Ducks in scoring for the week with four points (one goal, three assists), Sennecke’s ice time rocketed up to 20:45 and he rewarded the Ducks coaching staff for the increased responsibility.

🚨 Sennecke 🚨

We lead 2-0! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/KGcgJTCpgx

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 14, 2026First star: Mikael Granlund

Much said about Sennecke can be applied to Granlund too, as he has also had to step up into a more prominent role, centering the second line. Not only did Granlund put up two points (one goal and one assist), but he also led all Ducks forwards in ice time, with 22:23. Granlund was only on the ice less than the top defensive pair of Jacob Trouba and Jackson LaCombe, and he scored the game winner against the Kings in overtime (stick taps to Sennecke for the defensive strip and assist on the play),

Sennecke picks Fiala’s pocket to save the game and sets up Granny for the OT winner 🙌

KID’S GOOD! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/O9ysdOWQIq

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 18, 2026Biggest concernInjuries and illness

The Ducks will be without their number one center and franchise cornerstone, Leo Carlsson, for at least the next few weeks. Troy Terry has not played in a game since January 6th, with an upper body injury. Chris Kreider has missed the last two games with an illness. Petr Mrazek is on the injured reserve list, along with Frank Vatrano. While the Ducks were able to grind out a few wins this week, they are still on the outside of the playoff bubble. Missing key pieces of the forward group, only makes that hill to climb, much more challenging.

What’s next?

The Ducks host the slumping New York Rangers on Monday night, before heading out on a five-game road trip. These next couple weeks are very crucial to the Ducks season, as they will almost exclusively play conference and division opponents. By the time the Olympic break rolls around, the Ducks have to be within striking distance of a playoff spot, or their season will be lost.