The Ducks have turned in one heart-stopper after another at home this year, and on Sunday they’ll salute the fans after they take on the Vancouver Canucks in their regular-season finale at Honda Center.
They’ll be eager to build on Thursday’s display in which they walloped the San Jose Sharks 6-1. That was a triumph that did even more than just snap a six-game losing streak and keep them in stride with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division title.
“That’s a blueprint for our team,” said defenseman John Carlson, who scored the first hat trick of his 17-year career. “Not every game is going to present like that, but that’s something to build on. A building block for us to rely on going forward.”
After effectively wiping San Jose out of the wild-card race and containing Macklin Celebrini, who’d torched them for 10 points in three previous clashes, the Ducks turned their attention to Vancouver.
The Canucks have sported cement shoes and now sit concretely at the bottom of the standings. That hasn’t stopped them from taking two of three meetings with the Ducks in 2025-26, albeit with the first victory coming before Vancouver’s roster-shaking Quinn Hughes trade and the most recent confrontation being a 5-2 tilt in the Ducks’ favor on March 24. In between, the Canucks shut the Ducks out 2-0 at Vancouver.
In the March 24 win, Carlsson had three assists, and he turned in his second three-point effort as a Duck on Thursday. From that game until now, Carlson is one of just six NHL defensemen with double-digit point production. He’s also the only rearguard in the top 15 who was traded this season, being acquired by the Ducks on the eve of the trade deadline.
Another prolific performer, team-leading goal-scorer and co-leader in points Cutter Gauthier, should return against Vancouver. He last played against Toronto on March 30, when he notched a goal and later took a cross-check that knocked him out of action early. His upper-body injury healed to the point where he went from skating on his own to rejoining the team Saturday, when he told reporters at practice that the plan was to play Sunday.
Captain Radko Gudas (lower-body injury) could also be an option Sunday.
Vancouver at Ducks
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Honda Center
TV/radio: KTTV (Ch. 11), Victory+