The Philadelphia Flyers (21-12-7) return home to host the Anaheim Ducks (21-18-3) at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm/ET.
This is a game that both the fans and the team have circled on their calendars. For the fans, they showed up in last year’s showdown. The boos poured onto Cutter Gauthier every time he touched the puck. Chants like “F*ck you Cutter” and “Jamie’s better” echoed from top to bottom in the arena. The people demanded a win, and the Flyers gave them a blowout 6-0 victory. In this victory, Jamie Drysdale scored two points. One of those points was a beautiful goal that put them up 2-0. At 5v5, he finished that game with a 50 CF%, and won the expected goals battle in all situations, 0.92 – 0.38. It was an excellent night for Jamie to “prove” Anaheim wrong for trading him. Now, one of his close friends has the opportunity to do the same thing.
Flyers Have a New Reason to Rally
Last year, Trevor Zegras was on the wrong end of the 6-0 blowout. However, things changed over the summer when Danny Brière acquired him in a trade with Anaheim over the summer. Since then, Zegras is playing the best hockey of his life. Zegras has 40 points (15g, 25a) through 39 games played. Over a 82-game pace, he would finish with about 82 points, a point-per-game player. Every game you can guarantee he will create a slue of scoring chances, even on his off nights. Now, rejoined with one of his best friends (Drysdale) and a locker room behind him, he has every reason to go out there and show the Ducks that they were wrong in the assessment of him as a “hockey player.”
The Christian Dvorak Extension
It was announced last night that Christian Dvorak received a 5 year extension with the Flyers. His contract will carry an annual cap hit of $5.15 million. Additionally, his contract includes a no-trade clause for the first two years, a limited no-trade clause in years 3 and 4, and no trade protection in year 5, per The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. Dvorak’s 82-game pace is projecting to be 52 points this year. Through 39 games played, he has scored 9 goals and 19 points. He’s undoubtedly found chemistry with highly skilled wingers in Zegras and Travis Konecny. In my opinion, this deal carries too much risk with too little upside. That can be broken down in the following areas:
- Risk of Performance Decline
- Dvorak is tracking toward the most productive season of his career at age 30. Given that he has never sustained this level of play before, there’s a real possibility that his production falls back to more typical levels.
- Age-Related Concerns
- Player performance often drops off quickly in the early 30s. The league offers plenty of examples of how unforgiving the aging curve can be, making it risky to assume this level of play will hold long term.
- Potential Blockage of Young Centers
- Rick Tocchet has shown a strong preference for Dvorak, which could make it harder for younger, higher-upside center prospects to earn meaningful NHL opportunities. This contract just reinforces that possibility occupying a key spot for future players.
- Impact on Organizational Flexibility
- If Dvorak’s play declines while his role remains secure, management may find it difficult to move his contract. That could limit Danny Briere’s ability to create roster flexibility.
Of course, we do not know if all of these things will happen. It is very possible that he does age well, or that he does not create a blockage down the middle. If he ages well in this deal, and Brière can get guys like Jett Luchanko in the lineup, then most of my concerns will be dismissed. For now, we will wait and see, but can still appreciate the season he is having.
Injury Report: Philadelphia Flyers
- Tyson Foerster (arm)
- Mavei Michkov (foot)
Injury Report: Anaheim Ducks
- Petr Mrázek (undisclosed)
- Frank Vatrano (shoulder)
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena; Philadelphia, PA
When: 1/6/2026; 7:00pm/ET
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Last Game PHI: 1/3/2026; 5-2 W; @ Edmonton Oilers
Last Game ANA: 1/5/2026; 7-4 L; @ Washington Capitals
Philadelphia Flyers
Matvei Michkov did not participate in practice on Monday. It was later revealed that he was getting his foot checked out after taking a puck off of it in Saturday’s victory against the Edmonton Oilers. This morning, Rick Tocchet confirmed that the scans came back negative. When asked about the Dvorak extension, he had nothing but positive things to say about the Flyers center,
“Centermen are tough to find. They’re gold. He’s [Dvorak] come in here and has done a really nice job for us. I know him really well. I think Danny [Brière] and Jonesy [Keith Jones] since signing him have liked his game. He’s well liked in the locker room, he’s a culture guy. He’s a guy that comes into camp in shape and does the right things. You know, you’re keeping character and quality in the room. It’s good for us.” – Rick Tocchet; 1/6/2026
Dan Vladař will start for tonight’s showdown. He continues to be everything they need in a starting goaltender. In their last victory in Edmonton, he stopped 23 of 25 shots, and finished with a .920 SV%. This season, Vladař has a 15-6-3 record, and a 2.38 GAA, and .910 SV%.
Team Stats
On offense, the Ducks rank 5th in goals for (3.31) compared to the Flyers, who rank 21st (2.98). On the powerplay, they slightly edge out the Flyers ranking 25th (16.5%). Philadelphia ranks 30th (15.6%).
On defense, the Flyers are superior. They allow just 2.83 goals against, which is good for 10th in the NHL. The Ducks rank 32nd with 3.64 goals against per game. The Flyers also have the edge on the Penalty Kill, ranking 12th (81.3%), compared to the Ducks 26th ranked penalty kill (75.9%).
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#46 Trevor Zegras – #22 Christian Dvorak – #11 Travis Konecny
#52 Denver Barkey – #14 Sean Couturier – #74 Owen Tippett
#29 Nikita Grebenkin – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#91 Carl Grundström – #18 Rodrigo Ābols – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#36 Emil Andrae – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#24 Nick Seeler – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#80 Dan Vladař
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Projected Lineup: Anaheim Ducks
#77 Frank Vatrano – #91 Leo Carlsson – #19 Troy Terry
#61 Cutter Gauthier – #23 Mason McTavish – #45 Beckett Sennecke
#13 Nikita Nesterenko – #64 Mikael Granlund – #16 Ryan Strome
#44 Ross Johnston – #25 Ryan Poehling – #17 Alex Killorn
#2 Jackson LaCombe – #65 Jacob Trouba
#34 Pavel Mintyukov – #74 Ian Moore
#51 Olen Zellweger– #7 Radko Gudas
#1 Lukáš Dostál
(#33 Ville Husso)
