A few years ago, a Tuesday night game between the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers would’ve hardly registered on the NHL radar. But two big trades 18 months apart have made this all-orange showdown must-see TV.
There was plenty of emotion in Philadelphia last season when Cutter Gauthier faced the team that drafted him, the team for whom his disdain grew so strongly that he was traded before ever signing his entry-level contract. The Flyers received a solid player back in Jamie Drysdale, but lost out on a young, marquee offensive talent. Yet they were able to fill that void by going back to the same well and acquiring Trevor Zegras last summer.
Especially early on, the game lived up to the billing. Both Gauthier and Zegras (twice) lit the lamp in the first period. However, despite their special teams preventing them from dominating the scoreboard, the Flyers turned in a convincing performance at 5-on-5, leading to a 5-2 victory and improving their record to 2-0-0 in the new year.
Game Recap
It didn’t take long for the two main characters to introduce themselves to this game. A crushing hit by Jansen Harkins on Bobby Brink led to an early fight with Noah Cates, who picked up an instigator minor as no penalty was called on the play, and Brink didn’t return to the game. Sure enough, after a gorgeous shorthanded save by Lukáš Dostál, Gauthier loaded up a one-timer from the right circle to quiet the raucous Philadelphia crowd.
Zegras initially went on the scoresheet in the penalty column, taking a high-sticking minor just six seconds after Gauthier’s goal. But his teammates killed it, allowing Zegras to do what Flyers fans have grown accustomed to seeing from him the most. A nice keep-in and feed from the newly extended Christian Dvorak allowed the former Duck to bury his 16th goal in his 41st game as a Flyer after registering just 18 in 90 games over his final two seasons in Anaheim.
As if that wasn’t enough, Zegras turned the far corner just above the icing line into his new hotspot before the period was up. This time, he did his damage on the power play, with a slick re-entry play catching Anaheim off guard on a penalty that Zegras helped create, springing Travis Konecny on a breakaway that caused the scrambling Ducks to commit a too-many-men infraction.
Both Gauthier and Zegras had an early scoring chance in the second period, but couldn’t convert. However, California native Cam York could, wristing a shot through traffic for his third goal of the season. The energy in the building sank moments later when a second Flyer was injured, this time Drysdale, on a Ross Johnston hit away from the play that earned the Ducks winger a five-minute major and game misconduct. Like Brink, Drysdale didn’t return to the game.
Despite failing to convert on that chance and another PP later in the period, the Flyers firmly controlled play, outshooting Anaheim 31-10 through 40 minutes. They were rewarded for their territorial dominance with a Travis Sanheim drive off a clean faceoff win before the period was up.
Gifted a chance to get back in the game on a Sean Couturier penalty nine seconds into the third, Anaheim capitalized courtesy of another one-timer goal, this one from Alex Killorn in the slot. However, racking up three penalties in the back half of the period prevented them from seriously realizing those hopes. Any faint effort remaining departed when Nikita Grebenkin, who drew one of the calls, put the game away with an empty-netter.
After surviving their annual holiday road trip, the Flyers began a four-game homestand Monday night, with three Atlantic Division clashes awaiting them — one with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and then two straight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Ducks were mostly home for the holidays, but their early 2026 road trip hasn’t started well, and it won’t get much easier with the Carolina Hurricanes and surging Buffalo Sabres still on the docket.
