Nikita Grebenkin scored once and added an assist, lifting the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-2 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Monday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Carl Grundstrom, Christian Dvorak, Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov also scored for the Flyers (18-10-7), with Rodrigo Abols adding two assists and Dan Vladar making 22 saves for the goaltending win.
Max Sasson and Drew O’Connor scored for Vancouver (15-18-3). Thatcher Demko took the loss in goal, making 34 saves. The loss ended Vancouver’s four-game win streak.
Demko was sharp in the first period as the Flyers held a 14-5 advantage in shots on goal but neither team was able to score.
Grebenkin opened the scoring with his second goal of the season at 13:13, when his long shot from he left point managed to get past several bodies in front and past Demko. It was Grebenkin’s first goal in 15 games.
Shots after two periods favoured the Flyers, 28-17.
The Flyers took control in the final period, scoring twice within the first eight minutes to take a 3-0 lead.
Grundstrom potted his fourth of the season at 5:58, taking a feed from Grebenkin in front of Demko and knocking in his own rebound.
Dvorak added his eighth of the year less than two minutes later, batting a loose puck out of mid-air and past Demko. The goal was originally waved off for a high stick but ruled good after a video replay.
Garland to Sasson gets us on the board!
pic.twitter.com/xJZfSXJunG
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 23, 2025
Sasson gave the Canucks some late life with seven minutes left in the third, taking a nice feather pass from Conor Garland and beating Vladar five-hole to make it 3-1. Sasson is now up to eight goals on the year.
Tippett put things out of reach with a beautiful goal at 15:35, hopping around Vancouver defenceman Tom Willander and roofing a shot past Demko for his 11th goal of the season.
Michkov scored into an empty net with 1:11 to play to make it 5-1 and O’Connor added his eighth of the year with 18 seconds left to make the final 5-2.
The Canucks return to action Dec. 27, when they host the San Jose Sharks (7 p.m.).
NOTES: Vancouver’s Brock Boeser has now gone 11 games without goal and has just one point in that span… Tippett lead the Flyers with 10 shots on goal, while Evander Kane led the Canucks with four… Vancouver’s Filip Hronek was a -4, though teammate Tyler Myers was plus-2… Vancouver was 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Flyers failed to score on their only chance with the man advantage.