Jackson LaCombe just announced himself to the hockey world, and the timing could not have been more dramatic. The 23-year-old Anaheim Ducks defenseman turned the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs into a personal showcase — racking up 9 points in 6 games while going head-to-head with the most dangerous forward duo in the sport. The result: an Oilers team that had reached the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons is going home, and the Ducks — a franchise that missed the playoffs for eight straight years — are advancing to face the Vegas Golden Knights.
LaCombe's performance didn't just help Anaheim win a series. It redefined expectations for what a young defenseman can do in playoff hockey and validated a $72 million bet the Ducks made on him last September. Newsday's coverage of LaCombe's playoff debut captures just how dominant his emergence has been — and why the hockey world is now paying very close attention.
The Numbers That Demand Attention
In a postseason full of star performances, LaCombe's stat line stands out for its context as much as its volume. Nine points — one goal and eight assists — in six games tied him for second-most among all skaters in the entire first round of the 2026 playoffs. More significantly, he led all defensemen in the opening round by a clear margin.
But the raw numbers undersell what he actually did. LaCombe averaged 27 minutes of ice time per game, a workload that puts him among the most-used blueliners in the postseason. That ice time wasn't sheltered minutes against fourth-line competition — Joel Quenneville regularly deployed LaCombe directly against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the two players who have taken turns terrorizing the Western Conference for the better part of a decade.
The results of those matchups were startling. When LaCombe was on the ice against McDavid at 5-on-5, the Ducks outscored the Oilers 6-2 and won 67.3% of expected goals. That's not a rounding error — that's a young defenseman thoroughly outplaying the situation he was asked to handle. It's the kind of number that changes how coaches around the league will game-plan for Anaheim going forward.
How the Ducks Upset the Oilers: Three Keys to the Series
Anaheim's 4-2 series win over Edmonton was no fluke, and LaCombe was only part of the story. Analysis from Yahoo Sports identifies three areas that proved decisive across the six games.
Defensive Structure Containing Edmonton's Top End
The Oilers' offense runs through McDavid and Draisaitl, and both players are capable of winning a series on their own if given space. Quenneville's system denied them that space systematically. LaCombe's role was central: he brought the skating ability to stay with McDavid in transition, the hockey IQ to read Draisaitl's passing lanes, and the physical conditioning to sustain that intensity for 27 minutes a night over six games. Edmonton's most dangerous players were neutralized in a way that rarely happens in a playoff series.
Exploiting Edmonton's Defensive Vulnerabilities
The Oilers have built their identity around offensive firepower at the expense of defensive depth. Anaheim's forwards were relentless in exploiting that trade-off, and LaCombe's ability to quarterback the power play from the blue line created opportunities the Ducks' forwards converted. His eight assists aren't just a product of being in the right place — they reflect an ability to distribute the puck at playoff pace, when lanes close faster and passing windows are smaller.
Game 6 Execution
The Ducks closed out the series on May 1 with a decisive 5-2 win in Game 6, leaving no drama for a seventh game. That kind of road-closing performance against a desperate Edmonton team speaks to a maturity and composure that a young team making its first playoff appearance in eight years doesn't always have. That the Ducks had it — and that LaCombe was one of the players anchoring that composure — is the most meaningful signal about Anaheim's ceiling.
Who Is Jackson LaCombe? Background on Hockey's Newest Breakout Star
LaCombe is in just his third full NHL season, which makes his current trajectory either remarkable or obvious depending on how closely you followed his development. He was a top prospect coming out of the University of Minnesota, where he built a reputation as a two-way defenseman with elite skating and strong offensive instincts. The Ducks drafted him and brought him along carefully, giving him increasing responsibility as the team rebuilt around a core of young talent.
The 2025-26 regular season was his statement year. He finished with 58 points, a total that put him firmly in the conversation for the game's best offensive defensemen. His season was good enough to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team roster — meaningful recognition that his performance wasn't just a product of a favorable system but reflected genuine elite-level ability.
Then came September 2025, when the Ducks backed up their belief in him with a $72 million contract extension. At the time, some analysts questioned whether Anaheim was paying for potential rather than proven production. Five months later, LaCombe is making that contract look like a bargain.
The Ducks' Transformation: From Rebuilding to Legitimate Contender
Anaheim's playoff drought stretched eight years — from their last appearance in 2018 to this season's return. That gap covered a full organizational reset, and the team that emerged looks nothing like the one that faded in the mid-2010s. The Las Vegas Review-Journal notes that despite the experience gap between the Ducks and the Golden Knights, Anaheim carries genuine confidence into the second round — and that confidence is earned, not fabricated.
The last time the Ducks won a playoff series was 2017. They are now in the second round for the first time since that season. Head coach Joel Quenneville — a three-time Stanley Cup champion with Chicago who knows exactly what playoff hockey demands — has built a team that plays with structure, pace, and belief. That combination is dangerous in ways that pure talent alone isn't.
The broader context matters here: Anaheim went from a team that was competing for lottery picks three years ago to a team that just eliminated two-time defending Western Conference champions. That doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen without players like LaCombe developing faster than expected. For a look at how this postseason is unfolding more broadly, the 2026 NHL Playoff Bracket: Round 2 Schedule & Results has the full picture of who's advancing and what's at stake.
What Anaheim vs. Vegas Means: The Second Round Preview
The Golden Knights present a different challenge than the Oilers, and the series setup is genuinely interesting. Anaheim swept Vegas in all three regular-season meetings, winning each game 4-3, including two in overtime. Those results suggest the teams are evenly matched — but three regular-season wins mean nothing in April and May, and both teams know it.
Vegas brings significant playoff experience under a new head coach. John Tortorella, who took over the Golden Knights on March 30, is one of the most intense and tactically demanding coaches in the sport. His systems are defensively disciplined, and his teams compete hard in every game. The question is whether he's had enough time to fully install his system and whether his players have bought in completely.
The experience gap is real. The Golden Knights have won a Stanley Cup and know how to navigate a playoff run. Most of Anaheim's core players are experiencing this for the first time. But LaCombe's first-round performance suggests the Ducks aren't going to be overwhelmed by the moment. His 67.3% expected goals share against McDavid is the kind of number that tells you a player is not just surviving — he's thriving.
MSN's coverage of LaCombe's debut driving the Ducks forward underscores the broader narrative: this isn't a team riding goaltending or bounces. They have a legitimate top-pairing defenseman who can compete at the highest level of the sport.
What LaCombe's Emergence Means for the Ducks' Long-Term Future
The implications of LaCombe's breakout extend well beyond this playoff run. For a franchise that has been building toward relevance rather than living in it, having a cornerstone defenseman locked up on a long-term deal changes the calculus entirely.
Elite defensemen are among the most valuable and scarce assets in the sport. Teams that have one — think Victor Hedman in Tampa, Roman Josi in Nashville, Cale Makar in Colorado — build their entire structure around him. LaCombe's combination of two-way ability, skating, playmaking, and competitive makeup gives Anaheim exactly that foundation. His $72 million extension now looks less like a bet on potential and more like an early lock on a franchise cornerstone.
The broader rebuild also looks more advanced than most observers realized. Quenneville's coaching pedigree matters: he won three Cups and knows how to push a talented young team into true contention. The system he's built in Anaheim is clearly capable of competing with the conference's elite — the Oilers series proved that beyond any reasonable doubt.
The comparison that naturally surfaces is Makar's emergence in Colorado — another young offensive defenseman whose playoff debut signaled that a franchise had arrived. LaCombe isn't Makar, but the structural parallel is meaningful. When a defenseman that young produces at that level in playoff hockey, the arrow almost always points up.
Analysis: Why This Is More Than a Breakout Moment
It's tempting to file LaCombe's first-round performance under "impressive debut" and move on. That would be a mistake. What happened in this series tells you something fundamental about the player and the team.
Playoff hockey is the most demanding environment in professional sports. The pace is higher, the structure is tighter, and every team's game plan is specifically designed to take away what you do best. LaCombe didn't just survive that environment against the Oilers — he dominated it. He was asked to check McDavid, quarterbacked the power play, ate 27 minutes a night, and produced 9 points. That's not a hot streak. That's a player who is ready.
The other element worth noting: Anaheim's confidence against Vegas is justified by the regular-season results, but it's also justified by something harder to quantify. Teams that pull off significant upsets carry momentum — psychological and tactical — into the next round. The Ducks know they can compete with the best teams in the conference. That knowledge is worth something.
Whether Anaheim makes a run to the conference finals or falls in the second round, LaCombe has established himself as one of the most important young defensemen in the sport. The contract, the points, the deployment against elite competition, the results — it all points in the same direction. This is a player to build around, and the Ducks clearly know it.
LaCombe's 67.3% expected goals share against McDavid at 5v5 isn't a coincidence — it's evidence that Anaheim has found a defenseman capable of changing a game at its highest level of difficulty.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points did Jackson LaCombe score in the first round of the 2026 playoffs?
LaCombe scored 9 points — 1 goal and 8 assists — in 6 games against the Edmonton Oilers. That total tied him for second-most among all skaters in the first round and led all defensemen in the 2026 playoffs through Round 1.
What contract did Jackson LaCombe sign with the Anaheim Ducks?
LaCombe signed a $72 million contract extension with the Ducks in September 2025. The deal was announced before the 2025-26 regular season began and locks him up long-term as a cornerstone of Anaheim's rebuild.
When did the Anaheim Ducks last make the playoffs before 2026?
The Ducks last made the playoffs in 2018, making 2026 their first postseason appearance in eight years. They last won a playoff series in 2017, making their Round 1 win over the Oilers their first series victory in nine years.
Who does Anaheim face in the second round of the 2026 playoffs?
The Ducks advance to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Anaheim went 3-0 against Vegas in the regular season, winning all three meetings by a score of 4-3 — two of which went to overtime. The Golden Knights are now coached by John Tortorella, who took over on March 30.
How did Jackson LaCombe perform against Connor McDavid during the series?
When LaCombe was on the ice against McDavid at 5-on-5, the Ducks outscored the Oilers 6-2 and controlled 67.3% of expected goals. Quenneville regularly matched LaCombe against both McDavid and Draisaitl, and the results in those matchups were decisive in Anaheim's favor across the series.
Conclusion
Jackson LaCombe's first-round performance wasn't just good — it was the kind of performance that changes how a franchise is evaluated. The Ducks went from a team making a quiet playoff return to a genuine second-round threat, driven in large part by a 23-year-old defenseman who played the best hockey of his young career against the toughest possible competition.
The Vegas series will test everything Anaheim has built. The Golden Knights are experienced, well-coached, and motivated. But the Ducks have something they didn't have in 2018: a true No. 1 defenseman who has proven he can anchor a playoff run. Quenneville has the pedigree to maximize that. The regular-season results against Vegas — three wins, all competitive — give Anaheim a legitimate basis for confidence.
LaCombe arrived in this postseason as a promising young player on a rebuilding team. He leaves the first round as one of the most important defensemen in the Western Conference. However this run ends, the hockey world now knows his name — and the Ducks have made clear they intend to keep it on the roster for a long time.
