Redemption Weekend was supposed to be last weekend.

"I like your thinking" Max Talbot told me last Friday before the Flyers got blown away again by the Rangers and then lost to Detroit in succession.

My suggestion to Max was after the previous weekend debacle, the Flyers could get themselves righted with a couple of wins.

Didn't happen.

There is no easy fix for the Flyers right now. Top to bottom, they have truly flatlined in every category. What concerns me most is special teams. That's supposed to be the great equalizer and the Flyers have had good special teams in the past but this year, their PP has been very good while their PK has sunk.

Yes, Chris Pronger's absence is huge in that regard. But the inability to stop back door plays and such is embarrassing which is why the Flyers goalies were on the ice 30 minutes ahead of everyone else on Tuesday - not today _ to practice defending on those kind of plays.

My gripe with that was ... where was the defense on the ice? Shouldn't they be out there as well to work with the goalies on back door power play goals against? Just saying.

The Rangers have won the East. The Flyers need to strengthen how they go into the playoffs. Better defense, better goal tending and better special teams will determine their post-season fate.

That, to me, is of more concern right now than just scoring more goals.

Sam Donnellon wrote a piece in the Daily News this week questioning whether the Flyers can continue to play this aggressive "attack" system given their defense and goaltending is so porous. Good point.

But to change right now seems to imply you have to make a HUGE, fundamental change to your entire "systems" approach and I don't think you can do that this late into the season.

So what happens next? No trade is going to fix all these issues. And since there are no No. 1 d-men at the trade deadline, I see the Flyers making a minor move right now. No reason to waste assets here. Save them for the NHL Draft when deals gets done.

Talking to the players today and yesterday, I sense "attitude" is pivotal for the Flyers over the next couple games.

“We’re hitting that [rough] patch right now," Danny Briere told me. "It’s important to realize things are not going well and fix them. We’ve been doing a lot of video. It’s not the time to panic. It’s a time to buckle down and try to play harder.

“When you’re in a slump, the tendency is to squeeze your stick and get more nervous. The way you get out of it is working harder, getting closer to the net. It’s kinda the same thing with the team. We can’t get away from the plan. It’s a long process and right now, it’s tough.

“I look at last year. We played well until the stretch and we came into the playoffs on a downswing. We still have a little bit of time, but we want to secure a good spot for the playoffs.

“Come into the playoffs on an upswing. I’m not saying this is a good thing, but it’s better to happen now than at the end of the regular season.”

Poll question: would the Flyer be better off finishing 6th than 4th? I say YES.

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