When the Philadelphia Flyers signed 29-year-old forward Christian Dvorak as an unrestricted free agent this past summer, neither the player nor the team were sure how long his tenure with the team would last.

The Flyers are third in the division and just extended a key player. The players and GM Daniel Briere are ready to end a five-year drought.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ first game against the Anaheim Ducks this season was always going to be a spectacle, from the minute the NHL released the official schedule.

In their first home game of the 2026 calendar year, the Philadelphia Flyers hit the midway point of their 2025-26 schedule with a 5-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Dvorak has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 39 games, tied for third on the Flyers. He's on pace to set a new career high in scoring, having previously gotten to 38 with Arizona in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.

Tuesday’s Flyers-Ducks game was always going to have extra emotion and intensity given the connections and bad blood between the teams after Cutter Gauthier demanded a trade from Philadelphia two years ago.

Get Philadelphia vs Anaheim hockey betting preview, spread and over/under insights for their matchup on Jan. 6.

Trevor Zegras' performance this season could earn him a lucrative new contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. Meanwhile, Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk could be a worthwhile trade target.