It was never in doubt.

Okay, fine, it was in doubt for the first half of the season, and much of Thursday night, but the Anaheim Ducks clinched a postseason berth despite losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in overtime.

It's Anaheim's fourth straight postseason berth and the 12th in club history.

Anaheim has rode a resurgent second half to the playoffs, winning 12 in a row from Feb. 13 through March 5. The team isn't playing its best hockey right now, though, having lost six of nine.

On Thursday, the Maple Leafs were up 4-1 with three minutes to play in the second period. That's when the Ducks began to fly: Anaheim scored twice in nine seconds to cut the lead to 4-3, and took a 5-4 lead in the third period before Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown tied it up with his first NHL goal. Nazem Kadri scored the overtime winner, tying a career-high with four points.

The Ducks' top-ranked penalty-killing unit had a night to forget, allowing three power-play goals to Toronto's 30th-ranked man advantage unit.

The Ducks have 90 points, good for second in the Pacific Division. They're within striking distance of the Los Angeles Kings, who lost to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. The Kings have 93 points, and the Ducks have a game in hand.

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