Preview: Ducks Return from Holiday Break, Host Flyers for Saturday Matinee

The Ducks return from the holiday break for the front half of a weekend back-to-back, today hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at Honda Center.

PUCK DROP: 1 P.M. | WATCH: VICTORY+ / FOX PLUS (KCOP-13) | AUDIO: DUCKS STREAM | NHL GAMECENTER

Anaheim gets back to work after a four-day hiatus, now set to play three games in four nights on home ice. The Ducks hit the holiday break with points in three of their final five outings, pushing the club to 13-16-4 overall.

"I think the players at this point have a really good understanding of what we need to do to win," head coach Greg Cronin said. "We've got to play with structure. We've got to play, I call it precise hockey. You've got to execute [the gameplan] every game...We haven't riped as a group yet. We're still young. So we have to bring an extraordinary compete level and it's got to be every game. We've got to do it in a way that is visible and contagious. I think in the games that we've played well, we've demonstrated that."

Anaheim split a road back-to-back before breaking for the holidays, rallying for a shootout win in Utah before dropping a 3-1 decision to Vegas the following night.

“Vegas had control for most of the first two periods," Cronin said after Monday night's game. "I thought we had a lot of life after the first goal. We pressed until the end. It’s unfortunate we gave up the late goaln and didn’t have a chance to tie in with the pulled goalie. I love the effort. I thought we competed hard.”

"The effort was there. We were battling until the end,” added captain Radko Gudas. “Unfortunately, we had some costly mistakes, and they made us pay. They’re an experienced team, and they made us pay for those mistakes we made in the third.”

Today's game also marks the first Anaheim-Philadelphia matchup since last season's blockbuster trade, which brought winger Cutter Gauthier to Orange County in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick.

"Obviously, with all that happened, it's definitely been a game circled on my calendar," Gauthier said. "I'm super excited to play. It's been a lot of anticipation leading up to the game, so I'm ready to go out there and play my game."

Drysdale, originally selected sixth overall by Anaheim in 2020, played his first 123 NHL games as a Duck across four seasons (2020-24).

Drysdale and Philadelphia visit Anaheim today to kick off a five-game road trip, looking to eliminate the defensive struggles that saw them concede seven goals each to Los Angeles and Pittsburgh right before the holiday break.

"They skate fast, they move the puck fast, they attack aggressively," Cronin said. "You'll see the defense down the walls, they'll pinch to the hash marks. They just put a lot of pressure on you. It's a go, go, go team. Just try and create turnovers. So we've got to be on our toes, ready to go to try and counter attack against the pressure. It's easier said than done, but they play a fast-paced, relentless 60-minute game."

Philadelphia (15-16-4, 34 points) sits sixth in the Metropolitan Division.