VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers need to treat this week like it's the most important of their season because of what looms, general manager Chuck Fletcher said Tuesday.
The Flyers have lost six straight games (0-4-2) and begin five games in seven days with a back to back at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday and the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
Philadelphia (8-8-2), in seventh place in the eight-team Metropolitan Division, hopes to work on some of its issues this week. The Flyers play at the New York Rangers on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSG, NBCSP+, NHL LIVE), then have three days off before playing the Lightning. A game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday was postponed due to the number of Islanders in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
"To me, this is a massive week to get our house in order," Fletcher said Tuesday. "And to push back because it's five in seven next week. The games are coming fast and furious, and we're going to have to be a lot better."
The Flyers have been outscored 25-11 during their slide, allowed 37.8 shots on goal per game, and are 1-for-16 (6.3 percent) on the power play.
Injuries are the cause of some of those issues. Center Kevin Hayes has been out since Nov. 16 with an abdominal injury, and they also are without forwards Derick Brassard (hip), Patrick Brown (thumb) and Nate Thompson (shoulder) and defenseman Ryan Ellis (lower body).
Hayes could play Wednesday, but Fletcher said he believes there is enough healthy talent.
"Kevin Hayes can play tomorrow, makes our team better," Fletcher said. "When Brassard gets back, Ellis gets back, they make our team better. But having said that, we need to play better with what we have too. Everybody deals with injuries and illness, so we need to get better."
That includes coach Alain Vigneault and his staff. Fletcher said the areas of the game that caused the Flyers to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season looked better during a 6-2-2 start. But those elements have slipped during a 2-6-2 run.
"A lot of the things we wanted to correct was how we defended in-zone, defending against the rush, giving up fewer odd-man chances. Our [penalty kill], our overall goals-against and goaltending, and all of those areas were better the first 10," Fletcher said. "But the last 10 we slipped in a lot of areas. I think it's coaching, players, all of us. We're all in this together."
Fletcher said he's been on the phone with other GMs looking for ways to make the Flyers better, but said he isn't ready to start dismantling the roster.
"I'd really like to see what we have before we start making changes," he said. "I don't feel like I've been able to see that to this point in time. But we're always looking, I'm talking to teams every day. If there's ways to make us better, we'll look at it."
He said he believes the answers are in the locker room and on the coaching staff.
"It's difficult to go to the outside and keep looking for help from the outside," Fletcher said. "You've got to look to the inside. We have good enough players, we're a good enough team, and that's where our focus is."
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