The coaching battle is expected to shape the Ducks’ second-round playoff series, but Joel Quenneville is not making it the center of the conversation. The Ducks coach said the focus stays on Anaheim’s own game plan as the best-of-seven matchup unfolds against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Quenneville acknowledged that playoff series often turn on line matching, pairings, and small tactical changes. Even so, he stressed that the Ducks do not want to lose their identity just to chase adjustments from the other bench.
Staying with the Ducks’ structure
Before Game 1 on Monday night, Quenneville was careful when asked how Anaheim might change its lineup or style against a team it had not faced since a 4-3 win on Feb. 1 at Honda Center. He said the goal is to build on what worked in the opening round rather than overhaul the approach.
“You want to play to your strengths,” Quenneville said. He also pointed to the Ducks’ six-game series win over the Edmonton Oilers, saying the team handled a difficult challenge well and added details as the games went on.
That mindset has made Quenneville reluctant to talk about major tactical shifts. He said the Ducks want consistency more than a dramatic reset as the series develops.
Not looking past the bench across the ice
Quenneville also played down the idea of making the opposing coach the main story. John Tortorella brings a long track record and a demanding style to the Golden Knights’ side, but Quenneville said the Ducks are more concerned with their own execution.
“I’m not worried about the other coach as much as I’m worried about our own team,” Quenneville said. He added that Vegas should be expected to bring energy and compete hard from the start.
That attitude fits the reality of playoff hockey, where coaching decisions often happen in real time and small changes can alter the direction of a series. The matchup can still become a tactical battle, but Quenneville is signaling that Anaheim will begin from its own base rather than from a reactionary posture.
Lessons from a past playoff gamble
Quenneville’s playoff history includes at least one bold move that produced a major result against the Ducks. While coaching the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, he put Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane together on the top line for Game 7 against Anaheim.
The adjustment caused problems immediately for the Ducks, who had to decide how to respond to the double shift. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau eventually removed Ryan Kesler from his shutdown role against Toews and sent Ryan Getzlaf out instead, a move that backfired.
Toews scored two goals and Kane added three assists in Chicago’s 5-3 win on May 30, 2015. The Blackhawks advanced and later beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win their third Stanley Cup title in a six-year span.
Gudas improving, return still possible later
Anaheim also has at least one lineup question tied to health rather than strategy. Captain Radko Gudas skated with teammates Monday morning for only the second time since Game 1 of the first round against Edmonton.
Gudas also skated during Saturday’s practice at Honda Center after missing the final six games of the opening round with a lower-body injury. Quenneville said Gudas could return later in the second round, though no immediate lineup change was announced.
“He’s doing better,” Quenneville said. After speaking with Gudas following the skate, Quenneville said the defenseman felt much better than he did at the start of the previous series. For now, the Ducks are keeping the focus on preparation, while the series against Vegas moves into the kind of detailed playoff chess match Quenneville says should not distract from Anaheim’s own game.
