Berube experiments with Flyers lines

With five days between games, coach Craig Berube is tinkering with the Flyers' lineup.

At practice Tuesday, he had Jason Akeson move from the fourth line to play right wing on a unit with Vinny Lecavalier and R.J. Umberger.

"It helps having a skilled guy up there for sure," Berube said of Akeson. "He can make plays . . . and be a playmaker with them. It's something I want to see what can happen."

Chris VandeVelde dropped down to the fourth line with Zac Rinaldo and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. "That's a good checking line and, it's got energy and size to it. It makes sense to try it," said Berube, whose team plays Friday against visiting Columbus.

Ryan White, signed in August to be a fourth-line center candidate, skated before practice Tuesday. Shortly after he was signed, White was injured in an off-ice workout and needed surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle.

In late September, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said White, 26, would be sidelined for five months. Berube said Tuesday it will be a long time before he is able to play.

Luke Schenn (shoulder) also skated before practice. . . . Andrew MacDonald did not practice, but Berube said he had not suffered a setback in his recovery from a right knee injury. . . . It is unlikely that Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will be able to return Friday, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The ex-Flyer has been sidelined with a broken hand since Oct. 27.