The Philadelphia Flyers hit the road for a quick two-game trip in Buffalo and Pittsburgh this week. They’re looking to get back on track after suffering two blowout losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning to end a 1-2-1 homestand.
They’re also looking to get a few key players back into the lineup in Bobby Brink and Jamie Drysdale, who were both injured in last Tuesday’s win against the Ducks.
Drysdale was placed on injured reserve on Friday, retroactive to Tuesday, so he’s eligible to return on Wednesday night in Buffalo. He and Brink have been skating the past few days, though, which is a positive sign for their potential return this week.
Bobby Brink and Jamie Drysdale could return from injury Wednesday
Both Brink and Drysdale are possibilities to get back to action on Wednesday night against the Sabres.
“(Drysdale), we’ll see how he skates today; he could be a possibility. Bobby, the same,” head coach Rick Tocchet told the media after an optional practice on Tuesday.
Travis Konecny missed the first game against the Lightning and was tossed in the third period of Monday night’s loss for abuse of officials after taking a hard slash to the leg.
“TK was fine. He played through some stuff, gotta give him a lot of credit,” Tocchet continued. “A couple of other guys are banged up who are playing. But Bobby and Drysy are possibilities.”
The Flyers certainly missed Konecny on Saturday night, and they’ve struggled to control much of the play without Brink and, especially, Drysdale.
“He’s been really good 5-on-5. He’s a big loss,” Tocchet said of the defenseman. “Sometimes when things get a little hectic out there, he does settle things down. I’m a big wheel the puck breakout, we’ve lost a little bit of that. When he’s on the ice, he’s really good at wheeling the puck and is a puck possession guy.”
Drysdale is one of the few mobile defensemen that the Flyers have. His absence is even more notable when it results in Noah Juulsen in the lineup and Rasmus Ristolainen up on the second pair.
The 23-year-old defenseman has rounded out his game even more this season under Tocchet. He’s averaging 21:12 of ice time per game this season, behind only Travis Sanheim and Cam York, so those are big minutes to try to replace.
Brink may not play as many minutes, but he’s a key depth piece as well. He is ninth on the team with 20 points in 41 games this season, and his 11 goals are fourth on the team. Getting Brink back into the lineup can help put players back in their ideal roles in the bottom half of the lineup.
The Flyers are going to need all the help they can get to right the ship in Buffalo. The Sabres have won 13 of their last 15 games, including that 5-3 comeback victory over the Flyers last month.
