Ducks fans revel in ‘exciting’ Game 2 win at watch party

ANAHEIM -- Rocking a duck mask and a Mason McTavish jersey, Ryan Quibodeaux made a bold prediction for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

“They’re going to win it all,” Quibodeaux said at the Anaheim Ducks Playoff Watch Party presented by Ticketmaster at Honda Center on Wednesday. “They’re going all the way. It’s exciting.” 

The Ducks got a step closer with a 3-1 win in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena to tie the Western Conference Second Round best-of-7 series.

Game 3 is here Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN360, SN, TVAS). Game 4 is here Sunday. 

“There’s been a lot a buzz about the Ducks this year,” Quibodeaux said. “Anaheim has been a struggling sports city; our two professional teams haven’t been great, but to see the Ducks back this season is exciting. Early in the season, you didn’t know how they were going to do, you were a little apprehensive because it’s still a young group. But getting into the playoffs they exceeded expectations and getting out of the first round of the playoffs is insane.”

The playoffs had been a long time coming for Ducks fans watching their team go through a rebuild. The last time Anaheim had played in the postseason prior to this year was in 2018 when it was swept out of the first round by the San Jose Sharks. 

The Ducks are playing in the second round for the first time since 2017, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers to get to the Western Conference Final. 

Anaheim defeated Edmonton in the first round this season to set the matchup against Vegas. 

Ducks fans filled the lower bowl and converged on the arena floor to watch the game on the scoreboard as they have for every away game so far this postseason.

There was a family feel to the night. Quibodeaux was attending the event with his wife and 2-year-old daughter. 

“It’s been fun, it’s better than sitting at home or a bar or whatnot,” he said. “It’s a good atmosphere. It’s a good family atmosphere to watch the game.” 

The duck mask Quibodeaux and a lot of fans were wearing was an opening night giveaway by Anaheim.

“We went to the first game and they had all these masks on the seats,” April Bermel said, attending the watch party with her husband Nic. “I painted it for the playoffs. They sell it like this, but it was more fun customizing it.”

April and Nic got into hockey three seasons ago after taking in a Boston Bruins game on a visit to Massachusetts. They returned home to Anaheim and began following the Ducks. 

“We went to 14 games this season,” Nic said. “We really only started going to the games a couple of years ago.” 

April now watches with her good luck charm, a stuffed replica of the Ducks mascot Wild Wing. It paid off Wednesday. 

“This is my first time being into a sport ever,” she said. “This is the first sport I’ve been super into.” 

There were also longtime Ducks fans in attendance at the watch party. 

Matthew Soria, 24, has early memories of attending Ducks games at Honda Center. 

“I remember standing up on my seat when I was a little kid cheering on George Parros, and I’ve loved the Ducks ever since,” he said. “Now you see the youth movement coming up now and I’m so excited about the future of this team.”

Soria was wearing a vintage Ducks jersey but is also excited with the latest orange look. Now instead of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne jerseys, many fans are wearing the colors of the next generation, led by forwards Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Troy Terry, McTavish and defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov. 

“It’s been a fun ride watching the bright future of the Ducks,” Soria said. “The brand is getting bigger, the brand is getting more prestigious, so it’s just very exciting stuff.”