A total of 550 of those games belonged to five players, with two others combining for the other nine.
That’s right -- 13 skaters on the ice for Ducks for a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Honda Center had not played in the postseason before this spring.
Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-7 series with a crucial Game 4 here on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS), the experience of those five veterans can help the young Ducks deal with the latest ups and downs and the pressure that comes with expectations being raised.
“I think it’s (the pressure) slowly increasing, because the game just means so much more,” forward Beckett Sennecke said before Game 3. “Every next game is the biggest game of the year. We all feel that weight in here, but at the same time, that’s what we work for and we’re prepared.”
One reason they are prepared is the sage advice and professional approach from their veterans, four of whom have been with Anaheim all season and one who was brought in ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.
“Our experience is great,” said Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, who had been behind the bench for 225 playoff games before this season. “And I think we’ve got, you know, for each older guy, they’ve got a kind of a younger guy they can grab and educate him by what you say or what you do, and that's, that's a good situation to be in as a coach.”
The experience and resumes of those five veterans are impressive.
The leader is forward Alex Killorn, 36, who before this season, played 140 postseason games, winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021). He’s been with the Ducks since the 2023-24 season.
Next up is defenseman John Carlson, 36, acquired by the Ducks before the Trade Deadline, who brought them 137 games of playoff experience and a Stanley Cup championship with the Washington Capitals (2018).
Forward Chris Kreider, 35, acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on June 12, 2025, played 123 postseason games with New York, making five trips to the Eastern Conference Final and one trip to the Cup Final (2014).
Defenseman Jacob Trouba, 32, played in two of those conference finals with Kreider, and in the Western Conference Final with the Winnipeg Jets in 2018 as part of 73 playoff games. Trouba came to Anaheim in a trade with the Rangers on Dec. 6, 2024.
Forward Mikael Granlund, 34, played in the conference final with the Dallas Stars a year ago, and had played 77 postseason games before this season, his first with the Ducks after being traded to them on July 1, 2025.
The others in Anaheim’s lineup Friday with previous playoff experience were forward Ross Johnston (five games) and Jansen Harkins (four).
“We all asked them at the start of the playoff round, ‘What’s it like?’ and they just said, ‘Every series, the intensity gets more and more and more,’” Sennecke said. “They’re kind of that core of our older guys back there, and that’s kind of what our young guys lean on.”
Forward Leo Carlsson, who, along with forward Troy Terry, leads the Ducks this postseason with 10 points (four goals, six assists), said having players in the room who have been through the postseason wars helps the team keep things in perspective.
“They know not to be, I mean were not stressed, but to be calm still,” Carlsson said. “It’s a lot of games, a lot of series, they have won Cups, too, so they know how hard it is to win the Cup.”
Forward Jeffrey Viel, who said he thought the Ducks “weren’t ready to play” Game 3, said it’s on the veterans and everyone in the room to be better.
“They’ve been there before, right?” Viel said. “So, it’s about being vocal and talking to the team. And everyone just has to raise their level. That was the message today, and it’s up to us to answer that.”
Though Anaheim’s roster has plenty of playoff experience with the five veterans, it’s a team driven by its young stars in forwards Carlsson, 21, Sennecke, 20, Cutter Gauthier, 22, and defenseman Jackson LaCombe, 25.
Carlson believes it makes for an interesting dynamic.
“I think it's a two-way street too,” the veteran defenseman said. “I think that these younger guys have done a phenomenal job with stepping right in and making huge leaps, of big plays, and being able to rise to the occasion.
“So, I think if they ask you something, yeah, of course. But there's no secret sauce. The superstars from each team are sometimes some of the younger guys, anyway, so I think it's just a mindset thing.”
Quenneville also pointed out how his players getting their first taste of playoff hockey are succeeding, giving them a formula he hopes can add to more wins.
“Certainly, these guys have had all had good playoffs to date, in this series, or this year, and we’re looking to get a little bit more from everybody,” Quenneville said.
