Flyers move into second place behind lopsided win over Canucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Nikita Grebenkin and Dan Vladar had strong efforts Monday night as the Flyers took care of the Canucks, 5-2, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Grebenkin was excellent. He scored the Flyers’ first goal in the second period and then made a nifty move to set up Carl Grundstrom’s third-period marker. Not even two minutes after Grundstrom’s goal, Christian Dvorak made it 3-0.

After Vancouver got on the board, Owen Tippett responded with a highlight-reel goal.

Matvei Michkov added an empty-netter.

The Flyers (18-10-7) took over second place in a crowded Metropolitan Division, via the tiebreaker of fewer games played than the Capitals.

Rick Tocchet’s club has recorded at least a point in 18 of its last 23 games (12-5-6).

The Flyers see the Canucks (15-18-3) again in a little over a week when they visit Rogers Arena. It’ll be Tocchet’s return to Vancouver, where he spent parts of the last three seasons as head coach.

• Vladar was back in net after missing the Flyers’ 5-4 shootout loss to the Rangers two days ago because of an upper-body injury.

The 28-year-old was his reliable self, converting 23 saves on 25 shots. It was the 14th time Vladar has given up two or fewer goals in 21 starts with the Flyers.

Max Sasson got the Canucks on the board. It came in the third period when the Flyers had a 3-0 lead. Vancouver scored one more in garbage time.

Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko stopped 34 of the Flyers’ 38 shots.

Grebenkin cracked him with 6:47 minutes left in the second period when he redirected an Emil Andrae shot. It was good work by Grebenkin to create space in front without clipping Demko.

For Andrae, the assist was his 10th point in 25 games this season. The 23-year-old defenseman has been really good on both sides of the puck.

• Denver Barkey has played well in two games on a line with Tippett and Sean Couturier.

Couturier was impressed by Barkey’s poise in the 20-year-old’s NHL debut at Madison Square Garden. Barkey had two assists and drew a penalty, which led to a power play goal.

“When you give him the puck, he’s looking to make plays, he’s not nervous with the puck,” Couturier said after morning skate. “It’s nice to see that from a young guy. Coming in, sometimes guys can be intimidated and just get rid of the puck or not find that extra second that you think you don’t have. But he adapted quite well.”

• Michkov snapped a 10-game goal-scoring drought. He deserved the empty-netter because he was real active and played around the net all night.

• Dvorak returned to the lineup after missing the team’s loss in New York with a lower-body injury.

His third-period goal put the Flyers in total control. Trevor Zegras extended his point streak to eight games with an assist on the play.

Rodrigo Abols had two helpers on the night.

Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers were the Flyers’ healthy scratches up front.

• The Flyers are right back at it Tuesday when they visit the Blackhawks (9 p.m. ET/TNT) for their final game before the NHL holiday break, which runs Wednesday through Friday.

The Florida Panthers have plans to celebrate one of their players hitting a major milestone.

Last month, Florida forward Brad Marchand recorded his 1,000th NHL point.

It came during the Panthers’ 6-3 win over the Washington Captials on Nov. 13 at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Panthers will honor the achievement with a special pregame ceremony for Marchand that will occur on Dec. 30 prior to their game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Marchand is having a stellar season in South Florida, his first full season with the Panthers after being acquired at last year’s Trade Deadline.

So far through 34 games, Marchand has racked up 20 goals and 40 points while leading all Panthers in both shots on goal and shooting percentage.

Entering play Monday, the Panthers hold a 19-14-2 record on the season, good for 40 points.

They are currently one point back of third-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division and four points behind first-place Detroit with two games in hand. 

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Photo caption: Nov 8, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the third period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. (Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)

Entering the Christmas week, things are very different for the Chicago Blackhawks than they were during Thanksgiving. Instead of being near a playoff spot, the Blackhawks are in last place of the entire NHL. 

Chicago is in 32nd place with 32 points. The Seattle Kraken also have 32 points, but they have played two fewer games, which has them in 31st place instead. 

A lot of the teams that were below the Blackhawks, like the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues, have started stringing together some wins right when things started to fall apart for Chicago. 

At this point, picking in the top three for the fourth year in a row would not be the worst possible thing for Chicago. They already have a surplus of great young players in the NHL, AHL, and developmental leagues around the world. Another superstar prospect would not hurt. 

Things are not going to get ay easier for Chicago trying to come out of their current slump. They are missing their top two centers and arguably their two best forwards in Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. While they are out, all they can do is play and hope that they tread water. 

Whether it's Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, Ivar Stenberg, or someone else that they project to be a high end NHL player, there are prospects in the upcoming draft who will be difference makers in the National Hockey League. 

The World Junior Championships are coming up in a few short days. This will be a chance to not only watch some of Chicago's best young prospects, but also some of the ones who will be eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. 

This season is already a win for Chicago. Connor Bedard has established himself as a superstar and one of the best players in the NHL. Other top young stars are still developing but have all shown signs of greatness. Topping it off with another great draft pick would be far from bad news. 

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