Ducks ‘super juiced’ entering Game 1 of Western 1st Round against Oilers

IRVINE, Calif. -- Joel Quenneville was among those who had an extra jump in his step for the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.

The Ducks coach could sense the excitement when his team convened at Great Ice Park for their final practice before departing for their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in eight years. Anaheim faces the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Arena on Monday (10:00 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, KCOP-13, ESPN2, Victory).

"I get excited for the first game of the regular season and the first playoff game," said Quenneville, who won three Stanley Cup titles with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2010-15. "Getting close to that big day. Certainly, today, you could feel the vibe. People in the building watching. The group in our meetings, coming into the practice. The enthusiasm on the ice was very noticeable."

The Ducks limped to the finish line of the regular season, however, winning just two of their final 10 games (2-6-2) to drop out of first place in the Pacific Division and eventually lose home-ice advantage to the Oilers in the first round.

Those struggles weren't evident during practice on Saturday, where about 200 fans arrived to show their support.

"That was a good practice," Anaheim defenseman Jacob Trouba said. "Guys are excited, as we should be. Worked hard to get here and that's what we wanted at the start of the year. So, guys should be excited, the effort should be high and we should have a smile on our face going to Edmonton."

Cutter Gauthier, who led the Ducks with 41 goals this season, also felt a shift in moods beginning with the morning's first meeting."

"Everyone, between the coaching staff and my teammates, was super juiced and ready to get after it at today's practice," he said.

Quenneville, who was hired by the Ducks last May, quickly turned around a team that finished 12th out of 16 teams in the Western Conference last season.

"Playoff hockey is what we're all about and this is why we play the game," Quenneville said. "The best part of winning the Cup is trying to win the Cup, so that starts when they drop the puck on the first game."

Ducks forward Troy Terry said Quenneville's playoff experience brings a sense of calm to the team, especially for those without any postseason experience, like himself.

"He's won a lot of hockey games, a lot of playoff hockey games," Terry said. "He's won Cups, and just to see his excitement (at practice) today. Like, you can tell. It's like Christmas to him, just being able to game plan for one team and just the whole playoff format and the atmosphere. And just seeing him excited, it just shows you how this is what you really play hockey for."

Quenneville has never had to plan for Edmonton heading into a playoff game, and particularly center Connor McDavid, who led the NHL with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) this season.

He's looking forward to that, too.

"The vibe's going to be high and electric in Edmonton," Quenneville said. "I haven't been a part of that in this type of an era, so it'll be fun."