Zellweger A Key Contributor for Ducks in Series with Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- Olen Zellweger waited patiently for an opportunity to make an important contribution for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Unfortunately for the 22-year-old defenseman, his tying goal late in the third period of Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round on Tuesday did not prove to be enough for the Anaheim Ducks in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

But after sitting out the first nine games of the postseason as a healthy scratch, sending the game into overtime should help Zellweger continue to build on his confidence heading into Game 6 in Anaheim on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN360, SN, TVAS).

“I commend him,” Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville said. “It’s a great attribute to show his competitiveness. He stayed with it and was professional for a young kid, knowing that you lose your lifetime dream of not playing in a playoff game.

“He bided his time, he worked his tail off getting himself not just conditionally ready for it, but mentally. That was the thing that we were all appreciative of, how he approached it and prepared himself to be a part of it and contribute in a meaningful way. And he did more than we were expecting.”

Zellweger made his NHL playoff debut on Sunday in Game 4 of the best-of-7 series, which Vegas now leads 3-2. He had an assist and was plus-2 in 11:52 of ice time in that game, a 4-3 win for the Ducks, and he made an even bigger impact on Tuesday.

With Anaheim trailing late in Game 5, he took a quick cross-ice pass from Cutter Gauthier at the top of the left circle and fired a shot over Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart's glove to tie it 2-2 at 16:55 of the third.

Pavel Dorofeyev, though, would go on to score his second goal of the game at 4:10 of overtime to give the Golden Knights the win.

“It was just a good offensive-zone shift and a good pass and I had some time to shoot, and it went in,” Zellweger said. “I think we wanted to play both sides of the puck pretty well, and I thought we picked our spots well (to jump into the rush), but it just didn’t pan out.”

Zellweger said prior to the game that he felt his timing was good in his playoff debut and he was able to keep things simple.

In Game 5, he made it a point to try and get more involved offensively and jump into the rush at opportune times.

“I’m super happy,” Gauthier said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, obviously (Zellweger) made a great play there and was able to get himself open and make a great shot.

“He’s been extremely disciplined with how he carries himself on and off the ice this whole season, and when his name was called these last two games, he was ready to go. Kudos to him for having a great mindset these last few months, and obviously it pays off with a big goal.”

Selected by Anaheim in the second round (No. 34) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Zellweger had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 76 games this season, his third in the NHL.

However, when the playoffs started, Zellweger found himself the odd man out in all six games for the Ducks in the first round against the Edmonton Oilers and the first three against Vegas.

As a result, Zellweger has been the last of 15 players -- so far -- to make his postseason debut for Anaheim, although similarly to Game 4, his performance on Tuesday has likely earned himself at least one more playoff game.

“He was active, he was skating, he had some possession time, too, as well off the rush and in the zone,” Quenneville said. “He was a factor, and it was good to see him respond in the last couple of games after watching as much as he did. It was a great response.”

Had Anaheim been able to pull out the victory, Zellweger’s goal would have been the stuff out of a Disney movie, yet despite the loss, the Ducks did not seem too fazed after the game.

“I thought it was a tight game, obviously,” Zellweger said. “There were lot of chances each way, and (goaltender Lukas Dostal) played phenomenal. I think we just need to reset, and we know what we need to do next game.”

Anaheim has an uphill battle if it wants to advance to the Western Conference Final.

Historically, teams that win Game 5 in a best-of-7 series that is tied 2-2 go on to win the series 79.6 percent of the time (242-62).

Regardless of the odds, having Zellweger score was a boost to the entire team.

“Everybody is so important come playoff time, and he’s got so much skill and plays so hard, and he could be playing every game,” Ducks center Mason McTavish said. “We’ve seen it a lot here with guys going in and out and scoring. I’m just so happy for those guys, and especially (Zellweger). He’s been out for so long, and to get his chance and score, it’s awesome. I’m so happy for him.”