PHILADELPHIA — When the Philadelphia Flyers needed a goal, there was Christian Dvorak, converting a late first-period breakaway to tie the game against the San Jose Sharks en route to a 4-1 triumph on Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
When they needed to kill a penalty, there was Dvorak, hopping over the boards to fend off minor penalties to Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov. His 1:38 of short-handed ice time was second-highest among Flyers forwards.
When coach Rick Tocchet needed someone for the top power-play unit to start the second period, with Michkov unavailable for the first few minutes for reasons unknown, there was Dvorak, winning the draw at center ice and helping the top unit control the puck in the offensive zone.
And speaking of faceoffs, when the Flyers needed to win a draw, there was Dvorak, who went 14-for-17 in the circle, including one in the defensive zone with 1:53 left in regulation and Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic pulled for an extra attacker. Ten seconds later, Konecny’s empty-net goal put the game away, with Dvorak earning an assist.
Dvorak finished the evening with 19:01 of ice time, a goal and an assist. He now has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 27 games.
“I’ve used him a lot,” Tocchet said. “He’s plugged a good hole for us this year.”
When the Flyers signed Dvorak as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, his $5.4 million salary on a one-year deal was seen by just about everyone as an overpayment, even if the Flyers could afford it. Now? Dvorak, lately skating on the Flyers’ top line with Konecny and Trevor Zegras, has become one of the most important players on a team that continues to outpace expectations. The Flyers are now 16-9-3, including seven wins in their last 10 games (7-3-0).
Zegras and goalie Dan Vladar have gotten the bulk of the attention as new players who have given the Flyers a significant boost. Both were solid again against the Sharks. Zegras got the primary assist on Dvorak’s breakaway — a fortunate bounce off of what looked to be his left shoulder— and now has 27 points in 28 games. Vladar was outstanding once again with 17 saves, making a handful of key stops despite the light workload, including denying Will Smith on a breakaway just after Dvorak tied it at 1-1.
But the 29-year-old Dvorak is quietly having the best season of his 10-year career. He’s now on pace for 56 points, which would be well above his career high of 38, set in 2019-20 when he was playing for Tocchet’s Arizona Coyotes.
“Yeah, I think it’s coming,” Dvorak said of his offensive uptick. “I felt the way the last third of last year and playoffs (with the Montreal Canadiens) was a big step for me offensively. I tried to just carry that over into this season. I think (it’s) just more about confidence and obviously playing with some really good linemates. That helps a lot, too. I think we read off each other very well, and they’re a big help for me.”
Filthy, Dvo. 😮💨#SJSvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/pSQs3oGSYd
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 10, 2025
Tuesday was the third straight game that Dvorak skated with Zegras and Konecny. Tocchet, enjoying the last change on a long homestand, is using them against other teams’ top lines. They were matched up primarily with Macklin Celebrini’s line on Tuesday, and on Sunday got the bulk of the minutes against Nathan MacKinnon’s line in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Whether that’s something that will work for the long run, it’s still too early to say. Zegras and Konecny won’t ever be confused for Selke Trophy candidates. But both seem to appreciate having a guy like Dvorak in the middle who can regularly win faceoffs and play responsibly.
“He’s pretty solid on draws. Unfortunately sometimes when you’re playing with myself or Z, we’re leaning offense sometimes, and he seems to be a guy that’s going to be in the right spots if there’s a mistake,” said Konecny, who recorded his 500th career point with an assist on Dvorak’s breakaway. “We don’t want that, but he’s got the mindset of protecting and cleaning up a lot of errors that I’m making. He’s got a lot of offensive side, too.”
Zegras called Dvorak “just a pro’s pro. So good doing the little things in the D-zone and creating space in the O-zone. I love playing with him, and he’s been a lot of fun to be around.”
Tuesday’s win allowed the Flyers to move past the loss to Colorado, in which they played admirably against the league’s top team but came up just short. They’ve still lost back-to-back games in regulation just once this season, at the beginning of November.
It was a goal from an unexpected place that held up as the game-winner. For the first time this season, the Flyers’ fourth line scored, as Carl Grundstrom’s redirection of a Nick Seeler floater gave the team a 2-1 lead at 3:20 of the second period. Grundstrom, who spent last season with the Sharks and was traded to Philadelphia as part of the Ryan Ellis salary dump, was playing in just his second game with the Flyers after being recalled on Dec. 2.
The Flyers enjoyed all kinds of time and space in the offensive zone for most of the rest of the second and had chances to increase their lead, but they also needed Vladar on the other end to preserve it. Late in the second, he stopped Collin Graf from in tight after a rush led by Celebrini, and with 1:08 to go, Vladar got his left pad on a Ty Dellandrea shot from the slot.
That key stop allowed Noah Cates to finally give the Flyers more of a cushion, as Cates zipped in a wrist shot off the rush through Nedeljkovic’s five-hole with just 12 seconds before the break, making it a 3-1 advantage. The Sharks pressed a bit in the final frame, but Vladar turned aside a Nick Leddy shot with 15:40 to go and another prime chance from Dellandrea about a minute later.
It was a full team win, including the NHL debut of defenseman Ty Murchison, who made a good account of himself. But Dvorak played the starring role, both subtly and conspicuously.
“He’s getting a chance. That’s why he signed here, right?” Tocchet said. “He saw the opportunity here in our situation, and I think he’s grabbing it.”