Flyers Surge in the Third, Tocchet Victors over Former Team
Dec 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Nikita Grebenkin (29) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
After a disappointing loss Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers, the Flyers got that sour taste out of their mouth with tonight’s 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the Holiday Spectacular this Tuesday night. Every piece of the Flyers’ core exceeded their usual play tonight, as offense, defense, goaltending, and everything in between came together in the end.
Whether it was the multi-goal night for the fourth line, the ten shots for Owen Tippett, or the outstanding goaltending from the return of Daniel Vladar. Whatever it may be, Rick Tocchet must be glad to get the win over his former team, or must be happy to get the two points in general.
Fourth Line Shines
With the questions and concerns of the early-season Flyers, one of the biggest FAQs was the team’s fourth line, which had not scored a goal until December 9 against the San Jose Sharks. The conversations of the fourth line often brought Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers into question, as they have gone pointless to start the season.
Flyers fans did not need to worry tonight, however, as the fourth line got a different look tonight. Nikita Grebenkin, Rodrigo Abols, and Carl Grundstrom made up the line that would shock tonight, as they put up the game’s first two goals. A deflection for Grebenkin’s second career goal in the second period of play would finally break the ice in South Philadelphia, as no one seemed to desire to score early on.
This would not be the last of the connection of the fourth line, as Grundstrom’s second effort put home a beautiful feed from Grebenkin, and what is already his fourth goal of the season in his time up in the big leagues. This pairing seems to connect so well, as Grebenkin’s ability to hold onto the puck matches well with the finishing power of Grundstrom and Abols. We could very well be watching a fourth line that can bring this team into April once and for all. Only time will tell how the line changes from here.
Third Time’s the Charm for Tippett
In a game where the Flyers outshot the Canucks 39 shots to 25, the courtesy of the statistic goes to Flyers’ speedy forward Tippett, who had 10 shots tonight. That’s right, ten. With two breakaways being stopped by Canucks’ goaltender Thatcher Demko, it was the third opportunity where Tippett would ice the game, and it came on a beautiful play, one we have seen Tippett show ability to make in the past.
Even though this was his 11th goal of the season, Tippett, throughout the night, acted as if he had been in a goal drought, an attitude that can hopefully spark some life into this team before they enter the Olympic break. It’s more than possible for Tippett to use his skill to bring hope to this Flyers organization, and the hustle he showed tonight proves that it’s right around the corner.
Zegras Point Streak Continues
With all the other positives tonight, Trevor Zegras extended his point streak to yet another career high, as an overturned high stick infraction gave both Zegras and Travis Konecny their 21st assists of the season.
This point means a lot to Z, not only because the sneaky Christian Dvorak gave full effort to ram the puck home, but because Zegras continues on his pace to be a point-per-game player, as he has his 36th point in his 35th game. This would be essential, as the Flyers have not seen statistics like this since Claude Giroux, who was traded back in 2022. For Zegras, more is yet to come, and tonight’s hard work kept him right on his tracks.
Flyers Climb to Second Place in the Metro, Look for More in Second Half of Back-to-Back
With tonight’s win, the Flyers have passed the Washington Capitals and have climbed up to second place in the Metropolitan Division, which could not be tighter as it is right now. With Detroit having played two more games than the Flyers, the Flyers are two points out of second place in the Eastern Conference and are seventh in the entire National Hockey League. Some might say that this feeling is greater than the mirage the Flyers witnessed in 2023-2024. The Flyers and the fans hope this one’s for real.
The Flyers are back in action tomorrow night, as they go back on the road to visit the short-staffed Chicago Blackhawks, who are missing star youngling Connor Bedard. Flyers begin the action at 9:00 PM on TNT, as they look to spring together a new win streak before the holiday break.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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