In their first playoff series since 2018, Anaheim has defeated Edmonton in 6 games, and will face either Vegas or Utah in the second round of the Western Conference.
Anaheim’s series victory was due in no small part to the efforts of Tim Washe and his fourth-line wingers, Jeffery Viel and Ian Moore. Washe and company were utilized in a shut-down role against the Oilers’ top forwards, most notably Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitll, and they delivered. Arguably the two best players on the planet, McDavid & Draisaitl did combine for 16 points, although their production was not enough to overcome the Ducks’ considerable damage control efforts. The Washe line was the catalyst of that endeavor in this series, highlighted by Washe’s perfect 9-for-9 faceoff success through 2 periods last night. He won 10 out of 11 draws (91%) for the game, including two crucial D-zone draw wins against Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, both coming at times when Anaheim was attempting to protect leads Edmonton was threatening.
Exceptional defending is nothing new to Washe, as he has built his young career on this aspect of the game. When competing for Western Michigan University, he was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Defensive Forward of the Year in 2024-25. His success in the faceoff circle was his hallmark at that time as well, where he won a dominant 64.5% of draws he took in conference play (63.1% overall). The Broncos went on to win the NCAA national championship that season, using 38 points (16G 22A) in 42 games from Washe to accomplish that goal.
Far from a one-trick pony, Washe is no slouch scoring-wise either. Although he only managed 5 regular season points (2G 3A) in 39 games with the Ducks this season, he did manage to put up 27 points (13G 14A) in 36 games with AHL San Diego prior to his call-up. Look for his production to improve as he becomes more acclimated to the NHL game.