Full disclosure: I love traveling to Anaheim. It's a better alternative to the hellscape chaos known as Los Angeles and provides a Southern California charm without too much congestion. 10/10, would totally recommend.
But in all seriousness, Anaheim is a great place to watch a hockey game. Imagine raising a family on the hockey lifestyle in Orange County, where you're not too far from Disneyland back in the day. Life would've been the best for a hockey-obsessed child, especially if you were into roller hockey.
But there's a plot twist in the story. The Vegas Golden Knights will take on Orange County's local team, the Anaheim Ducks. Believe it or not, this isn't the same Ducks team from past seasons. This Ducks team is actually... good.
Like, there are numerous scoring options on the team. You're looking at players like Chris Kreider and Mason MacTavish that can do serious damage. You also have an accomplished head coach in Joel Quenneville, who's gotten the most from this young group.
But three names come to mind for the Ducks in this series. Now, these three names are going to be major trouble for the Golden Knights in a seven-game setting. Why? Well, it's time to explore that "why" and what they bring to the table, shall we?
1.) Leo Carlsson
This should be the obvious target for the Golden Knights during the series. This regular season, the Swedish center had 29 goals and 38 assists (70 games), making him one of the most important Ducks on the roster.
He scored three goals and five assists in the Edmonton Oilers series, being the main reason why the Ducks knocked out the defending Western Conference champions. Fans have seen what he's capable of doing, with November 8 being a perfect example (two goals and an assist in an overtime win). Therefore, the objective should be to keep him from doing any damage in the high-danger zone.
2.) Jackson LaCombe
The defenseman has been one of the most underrated Ducks players around. This regular season, he scored 48 assists with Anaheim with 14 coming on the power play. But there's much more that he brings to the table.
He also had 13 blocked shots in the first round, building off his success from the regular season (128 blocked shots during the 2025-26 regular season). However, his biggest problem is that he gives the puck away a lot, as proven by his 110 giveaways during said regular season. Therefore, Vegas should focus on getting on him as much as possible.
3.) Cutter Gauthier
Cutter Gauthier was the Anaheim Ducks' leader in goals scored this season with 41. That included 11 power play goals, where he was one of the few bright spots on the league's 23rd-best unit (18.6%). Therefore, stopping his shot will be objective No. 1.
After all, he's the man getting feeds from stars like LaCombe and Gauthier. The Ducks have a vicious attack similar to that of the Utah Mammoth, where they run north and south. If the Golden Knights want to win, they must limit his touches.
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