Flyers Win in Packed House, Beat Cutter Gauthier and Anaheim 5-2
Jan 6, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras (46) reacts after scoring goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Flyers, after leaving their road trip with a win in Edmonton against the Edmonton Oilers, return home for not only a game dedicated to honoring the late Flyers’ owner Ed Snyder, but a game dedicated to booing the Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier, who, after a dominant night from the Flyers, is now 0-3 against the team that drafted him.
Tonight’s sellout had a little bit of everything, from multi-goal nights to ejections. Overall, the Flyers were able to maintain their 4-2 lead in the third after a show of defense and were able to win the game 5-2.
Anaheim Plays Dirty, Multiple Injuries for the Flyers
Towards the start of the game, Bobby Brink had taken a hit from Anaheim, leading to a fight with Noah Cates, who was assessed an instigation penalty, leading to the Ducks’ first goal. Brink, who was slow to get up, did not return to play later in the game. With his status being unknown, the heat between the two teams began to heat up.
With all of the action already coming from the situation of the game itself, tensions rose to the highest after an unnecessary interference call from Anaheim’s Ross Johnston, who was assessed a game misconduct after the hit that left Jamie Drysdale on the ice for some time before being helped off the ice with the help of the Flyers’ trainers and a stretcher.
With Drysdale not only not having the puck, but also not knowing where Johnston was coming from, the call was an easy major penalty, as with no question that the hit was dirty. Johnston, at 6’5″ and 232 pounds, had no business pursuing the smaller Drysdale, who was away from the play.
Drysdale has dealt with injuries in both his time with Anaheim and Philadelphia, causing him to miss time and adding delays to his development. With him leaving the game, we do not know the status of the right-handed defenseman, except for the fact that he’s in a lot of pain.
On top of that, notorious “dirty hitter” and ex-Ranger Jacob Trouba laid a risky hit on Flyers’ rookie Denver Barkey, who had just begun his NHL career. A forehead to the mouth caused a scare regarding the rookie, leading to even more hatred towards Trouba, who went to the box for two minutes.
With all of these dirty hits that injured two and almost three Flyers, the Flyers were able to keep their personal composure and focus on the task at hand, except for struggling player Garnet Hathaway, who took it upon himself to bring the pressure right back at the Ducks.
With Hathaway not having a point this season, there are still ways to contribute, and he knew that. A controversial hit in the corner led to a heavyweight battle between Hathaway and former Flyer and Ducks captain Radko Gudas, who later attempted a move on a vulnerable Cates, adding on to the unnecessary play from Anaheim.
With many Flyers having the goal to produce points and goals for the game, it is important to have a couple of players aiming to bring pressure towards the opponents, within reason.
Gauthier Hears Round Two from the Flyer Fans
After the Ducks came to Philadelphia last January, Gauthier came back with the hopes of drowning out the noise this time around.
In January 2024, the Flyers and fourth-ranked NHL prospect Gauthier could not agree following an argument over what level of hockey was best for Gauthier at the time. After refusing to be a part of the Flyers organization, Daniel Briere had had enough, dealing away Cutter for Drysdale and a second-round draft pick. Ever since, Gauthier has been rightfully despised in Philadelphia, and fans have made a goal to let him hear it for the rest of time, which is exactly what happened, not only at home against the Ducks, but even at his place in Anaheim, California.
Though Cutter got the Ducks on the board first and thought he had silenced the Flyer crowd for good, it was only the beginning of round two, where Cutter would feel the noise for the rest of the game. With the boos and chants, Gauthier will leave Philadelphia once again, hearing the Philly fans in his head.
Zegras Makes Statement Against Former Team
Another huge story from the game regards the former Duck himself, Trevor Zegras, who spent five seasons in SoCal with the Ducks. After his story had seemed to end with Anaheim, with the Ducks seemingly giving up on him, Briere saw the perfect opportunity to buy in and potentially save the career of Zegras, who is only 24 years old. The Flyers dealt off Ryan Phoeling and two draft picks for the low-risk, high-reward situation.
With the NHL season halfway through, Briere, without a doubt, crafted a masterpiece with the trade, as Zegras has been at his best with skill and mental health. Zegras, who leads the Flyers in points, has successfully found his groove in a place he may want to call his home.
This feeling was palpable inside the Xfinity Mobile Arena tonight, as Zegras scored his 16th and 17th goals, one coming on the power play, of the season tonight against his old team. With two similar-looking goals from the sharp angle, it is clear that Zegras wanted to score those two goals, especially against the Ducks.
Whenever Zegras would decide put the pen to paper would be a joy to Philadelphia fans, as the Flyers may in fact be another piece away from breaking from the rebuild.
He sure felt good tonight.
D-Men Get a Pair of Tallies
With the Flyers entering the second period up a goal, insurance goals are crucial if you want to put the game away. The insurance goals did not come from any red-hot forwards or star players; they came from the point, as two defensemen in Cam York and Travis Sanheim both got on the board to extend the lead to three goals entering the third period.
The first goal, from York, was a wrister from the point that was able to make its way through, as two sticks from Nikita Grebenkin and Cates were able to confuse Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, who was sharp all night for the Ducks.
The other goal from the blue liners came from the Olympian, Sanheim, who is on a two-game goal streak. Sanheim, who is preparing for the Olympics, is preparing well by not only showing off his defensive skills but also showing his scoring skills, which have returned as of late. A big blast of the draw gave the Flyers their fourth goal of the night.
With the outburst of scoring, it is huge to see defensemen get on the board, along with the star forwards.
Flyers Head into Thursday Riding High
The Flyers return to action Thursday night after back-to-back wins, as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs to start their home stand. Though Toronto has struggled as of late, the Flyers continue to look to take advantage of every team they face.
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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