The best-of-7 series is tied, 1-1.
The 35-year-old defenseman was a full participant in Anaheim's skate for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury in Game 1 of the first round against the Edmonton Oilers on April 20. He has missed the Ducks' past seven games.
Forward Alex Killorn said Gudas coming back into the lineup, whenever it is, would be “huge for us.”
“I think his presence physically, obviously can be intimidating for the other team when you have a guy that’s that physical and plays that hard," Killorn said. "He’s also the captain of our team, so leadership-wise he’s huge for us, so we’ll see what happens.”
Gudas has played five games since March 12, when he was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who sustained a Grade 3 MCL sprain and missed the rest of the regular season. Gudas was suspended five games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for kneeing.
He returned to the lineup on March 24, played two games, missed a game against the Oilers on March 28, played on March 30 against the Maple Leafs, then missed five more games before returning on April 12 against the Vancouver Canucks. He missed the final two games of the regular season before playing Game 1 of the first round against the Oilers.
Gudas, who played for Team Czechia at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 56 games this season, and has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 58 postseason games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Ducks.
He was named Anaheim captain on Sept. 19, 2024.
“He’s a North Star for this team,” said defenseman John Carlson, who was Gudas’ teammate in Washington. “The boys, we’ve been yearning for him to get back out there. Those little things really make a big difference for us.”
NHL.com Staff Writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report
