Southern California Dreaming: Ducks and Kings Nab Last Two Playoff Spots

The evening of April 13, 2026 began with three spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs up for grabs. One in the East, two in the West. The East spot was nabbed by the Philadelphia Flyers with their 3-2 shootout win, but there was still the West to go. Two spots left, and five teams vying for them, but four of them played. Two of them faced each other, and it was quite a battle. The Sharks led 1-0 after two periods, and Macklin Celebrini made it 2-0 in the third. The Preds did get on the board, but Celebrini struck again to make 3-1. Preds cut it to one, but couldn't tie it up.

The Sharks defeated the Predators, 3-2, and as a result of that contests, the Anaheim Ducks are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018! But that's not all, folks! This is a two-for-one! Ducks fans weren't the only ones watching that game. Fans of the Los Angeles Kings were also watching, while also watching their own game against the Seattle Kraken. And while the Preds lost their game, the Kings had a 2-0 lead that became 3-0 after 40 minutes! However, the Kraken were looking to play spoiler, and they did put two in to make it a one-goal game. It looked like we'd see Seattle actually come back, but the Kings did make it 4-2 late. Seattle, with a flair for the dramatic, made it a one-goal game again and pulled the goalie for the extra attacker. The Kings did put it into the empty net with 1.4 seconds left. That sealed it.

It's a Southern California daily double! On the same night, barely over an hour apart, the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings clinched the last two remaining spots in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs! The Preds' loss put the idle Ducks in, and it allowed the Kings to get in with their own victory; the first time that both SoCal teams are in the playoffs together since 2018!

While the Ducks haven't been to the playoffs since 2018, they haven't won a playoff game since 2017. Their 2018 appearance saw them swept and dominated by the San Jose Sharks, and since then, it's been one disastrous season after another, which included being one of the seven teams who missed out on the "bubble" playoffs in 2020. There were talks of promise in Anaheim, but nothing came of it until this season. The Ducks were off to a very strong start, leading the Pacific for a good bit of the season. They did fall off a bit, but they were never in danger of missing out.

The Ducks have a plethora of young talent, led by Cutter Gauthier, who only has 67 points, but 40 of them when in the net! Leo Carlsson (29G/37A = 66P) and Beckett Sennecke (23G/37A = 60P) have also showed out for the Ducks, while veterans such as Chris Kreider (22 goals) and the newly acquired John Carlson (who picked up his first career Hat Trick in Ducks uniform) have paid dividends for the team. They also have one hell of a goalie in Lukas Dostal, who is capable of "goalie-ing" opponents to no end.

As for the Kings, it definitely looked like this team wouldn't even sniff the postseason. For one, they needed overtime A LOT this season, and that is not helpful to a team in the standings. What also isn't helpful is losing these games past regulation. Nineteen. That's how many times that the Kings lost in extra time. Ten times in the OT period, nine via the shootout. Despite this, the Kings have regained the winning touch. An 8-4-2 stretch in their last 14 games would do it, and as a result, the Kings are in the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

Adrian Kempe continues to lead the way for the Kings with 72 points, 35 of them going in the net. Artemi Panarin has been a big help for LA since they traded for him. Quinton Byfield continues to get clutch goals; even with LA's problems winning in OT, Byfield has scored three times in the extra period. And of course, they still have my boy, Darcy Kuemper, in net doing his thing, just like he did for the Avalanche in 2022. However, this season is all about one player: Anze Kopitar. 20 years with the Kings, been with them through the lowest points, and the highest of highs, and won two Cups with them. As we all learned in the beginning of this, this season will be Kopitar's last. He'll be off to retirement and he'll definitely have his #11 in the rafters.

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So both Southern California teams have completed this year's Sweet 16, but they both have positioning to play for. The Ducks have a chance to win the Pacific, but they'll need to win out and the Vegas Golden Knights have to lose their finale. The Kings are eliminated from the division race, but they can actually move up to 2nd place, which is home ice in the Pacific Semifinals. Get this. Even with everything being so messy, we could still get Oilers/Kings V! Holy schnike! There's also a chance that the Ducks and Kings could face each other in Round 1! I know this much: it's going to be one hell of a postseason this year, I can sense it!