No NHL team expects its fourth line to be an offensive juggernaut. But the Flyers have gotten only one point from its bottom unit in 27 games, and it’s safe to say coach Rick Tocchet is a little restless.

At Monday’s practice, Tocchet had to defend his decision to play the trio of Rodrigo Abols, Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway late in Sunday’s game against Colorado while trailing by a goal.

Predictably, the line didn’t do much, and the Flyers went on to drop a 3-2 decision at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“I’m a culture guy,” Tocchet said at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. “You have guys (from the top three lines) dragging. Our team is a team that needs to use the bench. These guys had played eight, nine minutes. I thought a couple games ago they gave us some juice.

“Guys are struggling, they want to get some points, I get it.”

It’s a long season, and Tocchet knows his team will be better served by distributing ice time so his three lines don’t get exhausted, particularly late in games.

“We’re playing long ball here,” Tocchet said. “I’ve got some guys who are tired on the bench. This is a team thing. I’m a culture guy, and we’re building culture here.”

In other words, all 12 forwards are important to his team’s success. The best way to help the last line contribute is by showing faith.

“Five minutes left, I put the fourth line out there, why not?” Tocchet said. “I’ve got to get a shift out of those guys. They’re NHL players. So I put them out there, that’s what I believe in.

“They have to produce, I get it. We have to figure something out. But in the meantime, that’s what we have. I’m trying to build their confidence. I don’t read tweets, I don’t listen to podcasters. If I did I would be out of a job. That’s just the way it is.”

Hathaway’s scoring drought is the most perplexing. The 34-year-old right wing has four double-digit goal seasons since entering the NHL in 2015-16, including 10 goals and 11 assists in 67 games for the Flyers last year. He doesn’t have a point in 27 outings this year.

He’s a standup guy and a valuable enforcer. But it would be nice if he could toss in a goal.

“He’s out of sorts, he’ll tell you,” Tocchet said. “He’s had a tough time this year. To me, he’s such a great team guy and he knows it. … He wants to do better things. A lot of his thing is being able to hold onto pucks, make plays under pressure.”

Abols is a valuable penalty killer. The Latvian, who has been named to the team’s Olympic roster, is part of the the Flyers’ top-10 kill unit in the NHL.

“You can’t have a fourth line that doesn’t penalty kill,” Tocchet said. “I don’t want to burn out TK (Travis Konecny) or Catesy (Noah Cates). That’s why I have to get that fourth line out there on the penalty kill.”

Tocchet says it all goes back to using Hathaway and his mates in meaningful situations.

“How as a coach do I help him?” Tocchet said. “Put him in situations where he can succeed. There could come a time where we have to re-tool that fourth line. We have to figure that out. But in the meantime, I’m going to get these guys some confidence. We’re not a three-line, we’ve got to get the fourth line involved.”

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The Flyers called up defenseman Ty Murchison from Lehigh Valley. Tocchet said he could make his debut Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks.

“He’s a guy who deserves to come up and get a shot,” Tocchet said. “That’s what we’re building on here, guys who are competitive. I don’t know how he’s going to play but I do know he’s competitive.”

In 21 games with the Phantoms, Murchison is a team-best plus-9. Tocchet said he was told by Phantoms coach John Snowden that Murchison “brings his game every night.”

That’s what the Flyers could use right now, with Cam York still day-to-day.

“We’ve got to squash plays,” Tocchet said. “We’ve got to come up with some battles. And he’s one of those guys. Hopefully he can do it for us. I don’t know but we’ve got to give him a shot.”

A fifth-round pick back in 2021, the 22-year-old has been a big part of the Phantoms’ early success this season.