Ducks' storybook season comes to an end with Game 6 loss to Golden Knights

"The Ducks' Cinderella run through the NHL playoffs came to an end Thursday in a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series. And the end came well before midnight, with goals by Mitch Marner and Brett Howden in the first 8 ½ minutes giving Vegas a commanding lead before many in the late-arriving weeknight crowd had made it to their seats at the Honda Center."

"The Golden Knights will move on to the Western Conference finals with the Colorado Avalanche next week while the Ducks will move on to summer. But it's the team's latest start on the offseason since 2017, the last time the Ducks made to the second round of the playoffs. So even if the glass slipper didn't fit this time, the Ducks have reason to celebrate."

"This team, after all, wasn't supposed to be at the ball this long. Fourteen players on its roster had never been to the postseason before; most of them had never even played for a winning team in the NHL before. But the team's youth and inexperience proved to be a strength, not a weakness."

"They didn't know they weren't supposed to win in the playoffs, so they did, dispatching the Edmonton Oilers - who made the last two Stanley Cup finals - in the first round and outplaying the veteran Golden Knights, a playoff team in eight of the franchise's nine seasons, throughout much of the second round."

The Ducks’ Cinderella playoff run ended with a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the second-round series. Vegas scored early, taking a commanding lead within the first 8½ minutes through goals by Mitch Marner and Brett Howden. The Golden Knights advanced to the Western Conference finals to face the Colorado Avalanche, while the Ducks moved into the offseason. The Ducks’ season extended into the second round for the first time since 2017. Fourteen players on the roster had never been to the postseason before, and most had never played for a winning NHL team. Despite youth and inexperience, the team performed strongly, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the first round and outplaying Vegas through much of the second round.

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