The Philadelphia Flyers hit the road looking to get back on track after two blowout losses against the Tampa Bay Lightning to end a four-game homestand. Philadelphia has now lost three games in a row, going back to the overtime defeat against Toronto, and could be staring a five-game losing streak in the face if they lose tonight, as they’re just 2-3-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.

The Flyers did get some good news on Wednesday morning, though, with defenseman Jamie Drysdale set to return from a four-game absence after suffering an upper-body injury last Tuesday.

Drysdale returning won’t be the only change to the Flyers’ combinations, however, as Rick Tocchet has shaken things up ahead of Wednesday night’s game in Buffalo.

Flyers unveil new lineup as Jamie Drysdale is back from injury

Per The Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel, here were the Flyers’ lines at their morning skate:

Trevor Zegras – Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Matvei Michkov – Sean Couturier – Carl Grundstrom
Nikita Grebenkin – Noah Cates – Owen Tippett
Nic Deslauriers – Rodrigo Abols – Garnet Hathaway

Spiegel noted that the lines were in no particular order, so we used some discretion.

Notably missing from these combinations is rookie Denver Barkey, who Tocchet confirmed will be out for tonight’s game despite there being some game-time decisions. Barkey came out of the gates hot in the NHL, but has been slightly less noticeable in recent games. It’s unfortunate for Barkey, who played junior hockey just across the border in London, but perhaps a reset can recharge his battery for Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

The only lines sticking together as combinations are the Dvorak line and the Abols line. That Zegras – Dvorak – Konecny line is now the Flyers’ most-used trio this season. They’ve played 191 minutes together at 5-on-5, per Money Puck, with an expected goals share of 48.2% while outscoring the opposition 11-10.

The fourth line has also spent plenty of time together, racking up 99 minutes over the course of 15 games.

Perhaps the most interesting change to the lineup, or at least where most attention will be, is where Matvei Mickhov is playing. Tocchet hasn’t given Michkov consistent linemates this season, and the Russian winger’s play has been inconsistent as well.

Michkov had played 97 minutes with Couturier and Konecny as a line, and 61 minutes with Couturier and Tippett. The winger and center have some familiarity from both this and last season.

This season, Michkov has played slightly less with Couturier (254:34) than without him (260:19), per Natural Stat Trick, and the results have largely been the same. The shot attempt share is slightly above 50%, and the expected goals share is at 52.74% and 55.95%, respectively.

In his career, Michkov has played 809:28 with Couturier and 730:57 without him at 5-on-5. There hasn’t been a huge difference in shot attempt share (49.58% with, 48.86% without) or expected goals share (53.01% with, 53.54% without).

Michkov has been deployed much more offensively without Coururier (68.29% offensive zone faceoffs) than with him (57.89%), though.

While that’s a familiar duo, Cates and Tippett have rarely played on the same line. Over the last three seasons, they’ve played 131:56 together at 5-on-5, but that’s resulted in a 55.85% shot attempt share and 59.18% expected goals share. It’s a small sample size, but perhaps something is there, and a grinder like Grebenkin can help win some battles and push the play forward.

Flyers’ blue line gets a new look, too

The forward lines weren’t the only group seeing some changes, though.

Here is how the Flyers will line up on defense tonight:

Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Emil Andrae

Drysdale and Andrae had formed a nice partnership as two puck-moving defensemen, but Tocchet is splitting them up tonight. Stylistically, it does make some sense to have a puck mover on each pair, and what might catch fans’ eyes is Rasmus Ristolainen on the top pair.

Sanheim and Ristolainen have only played 13 minutes together this season, but were paired up for 176 minutes last year. They didn’t exactly fare well, though, with an expected goals share of just 39.9%.

It also moves Sanheim back over to the left side after playing on his off hand for most of the season with York. The left-handed defenseman has had no problem playing on their side, so we’ll see how he adjusts with a physical defenseman like Ristolainen on his right side.

All in all, things could certainly look worse, and the Flyers needed some kind of shake-up after their last few losses. They’ve scored just four goals in their last three games and need to get a few guys going offensively.

Most importantly, it’ll be Dan Vladar in the crease tonight for the Flyers. That likely means that Sam Ersson will start Thursday in Pittsburgh, unless the Flyers make a move by then.