See ya Monday.

Jan. 16: Deep Thoughts: Flyers seeking help from third and fourth lines
When you look at the Flyers roster, you can't help but wonder why they don't score more goals.

Entering Thursday's tilt with Montreal at the First Union Center, Philly ranks a hard-to-figure 24th in the league with 106 goals. That's just 2.47 goals per game.

Sure, they miss world-class goal scorer John LeClair, who could return from shoulder surgery in mid-February. But forwards Jeremy Roenick, Mark Recchi, Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne all have an all-star pedigree. And youngster Justin Williams and rugged Michal Handzus have chipped in some timely goals.

Coach Ken Hitchcock feels the problem lies a little deeper in the depth chart. Third and fourth liners Radovan Somik, Donald Brashear, Tomi Kallio, Todd Fedoruk and Marty Murray have combined for just 13 goals.

Pavel Brendl, a big-time scorer in junior who has been playing on a line with Primeau and Recchi, has yet to find success in the NHL. The 22-year-old right wing -- who does get limited ice time -- has just five goals in 33 games.

On Wednesday, the Flyers signed veteran journeyman Joe Sacco, moved oversized Chris McAllister from the back line to the front line and placed Kallio on waivers, all in an effort to shake up their bottom six forwards. But those moves aren't exact dramatic.

In any case, the Flyers should be more offensive against the Canadiens. In winning their three previous meetings, the Flyers have outscored the Habs, 14-5.

Islander blues
It wasn't a happy scene in the Islanders dressing room after Wednesday's 5-0 loss in New Jersey.

Coach Peter Laviolette felt the game was "up for grabs in the first 10 minutes." In those opening moments, the Isles had several scoring chances snuffed out by Devils goalie Martin Brodeur. After that, Laviolette didn't see much effort outside of his top line (Alexei Yashin, Oleg Kvasha and Trent Hunter).

"Systems [of play] are all horse--- if you don't show up and battle," said a disgusted Laviolette. "This was just terrible tonight."

Curiously, team captain Michael Peca -- always a stand-up guy -- left the building without addressing the media. That unusual behavior certainly makes one wonder what was discussed behind closed doors.

The Isles, who are 1-2-0-1 in their last four games, get a chance to make things right against the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday. If nothing else, they'll likely provide a more complete effort at the Savvis Center.

Jan. 15: Living up to the family name
If Blackhawks Hall of Fame legend Bobby Hull hadn't taken the big money -- $1 million (go ahead, repeat it with your best Austin Powers imitation) -- to jump to the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association in 1972, he would have scored more than 700 NHL goals. (He finished with 610 NHL goals and 303 WHA tallies.)

It would've been an even-money wager that the milestone goal would've been scored in Chicago.

Red Wings future Hall of Famer Brett Hull, who has continued the family tradition of torturing goaltenders, blows into the Windy City on Wednesday for another tilt with his dad's old team. On Monday, Hull scored the 698th goal of his career in a 5-4 overtime win over the Hawks in Detroit. It was his 45th career goal against the Blackhawks.

So, in the back end of this home-and-home series, it's conceivable that Hull could score Nos. 699 and 700 in his father's old hometown. After all, in his last visit to the United Center (Jan. 5), Hull scored a two goals in a 4-3 OT win.

When Hull does hit the 700-goal mark, he'll join Wayne Gretzky (894), Gordie Howe (801), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708) in an exclusive club.

At age 38, Hull is still a dangerous offensive weapon. He's tied with Sergei Fedorov for the club lead with 19 goals and he stands second on the Wings with 36 points. The odds are he'll finish his career no worse than third on the league's all-time goal-scoring list.

Very few sons of famous fathers can live up to the family name. That's especially true in the public world of pro sports. Brett Hull, with a wink, a smile and a lot of chatter, has done just that.

Speaking of milestones...
Devils center Joe Nieuwendyk needs just one goal to hit the 500-goal mark. He had several chances during the club's 6-2 win over the visiting Panthers on Monday, but he couldn't close the deal. Nieuwendyk, who has just five goals in 41 games this season, gets his next opportunity on Wednesday against the Islanders at the Continental Airlines Arena. Nieuwendyk has been struggling to find his way in his first full season in the Eastern Conference. The 36-year-old pivot can be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

All-Star minus
Florida defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh hasn't had much fun since being named on Saturday as one of the Eastern Conference starters for the upcoming All-Star Game which will be played at Panthers' home rink on Feb. 2. In the two games since the announcement, the Panthers have been outscored, 18-4. Ozolinsh, the latest individual to benefit from a voting scandal in Florida, posted a combined minus-6. His defensive partner, rookie Ivan Majesky, fared worse with a minus-8. Ozolinsh, Majesky and the rest of the Panthers will be looking to get back on track when they open a four-game homestand against the Bruins on Wednesday.

Jan. 14: Top cat
Goalie Tomas Vokoun is getting a chance to prove that he's one of best conditioned athletes on the Nashville Predators.

The 26-year-old Vokoun, an 11th-round selection of the Canadiens in 1994, will make his franchise-record 20th straight start when the Preds faceoff against the Canucks at GM Place on Tuesday night.

The struggling fifth-year expansion club has responded well to Vokoun's promotion to full-time status, going 9-7-3 since his streak started on Dec. 5. More recently, they're 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Coach Barry Trotz, who has the good fortune to work for patient GM David Poile, says he'll keep sending Vokoun to the crease.

Trotz doesn't have much of choice since the club dealt veteran Mike Dunham -- and his oversized contract -- to the Rangers on Dec. 12. Inexperienced 23-year-old Jan Lasak currently sits -- or should we say, is currently stapled to the bench -- behind Vokoun.

The club would like to see minor league stopper Brian Finley find a spot on the big league roster someday. Finley, the Preds' top pick (sixth overall) in 1999, missed almost two full seasons due to a nagging groin injury. Finley is finally healthy and is playing catch-up with his development at the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee.

Lasak's maturation and Finley's arrival will take time -- a lot of time. Until then, the well-conditioned Vokoun will keep skating to the Predators' crease -- adding to his club record. The Preds, based on their performance in front of him, seem to be very comfortable with that arrangement.

A happy birthday
New Jersey Devils forward Michael Rupp celebrated his 23rd birthday in style. One day after being called up from the club's AHL affiliate in Albany, Rupp scored a pair of goals in his first NHL game, helping the Devils to a 6-2 home win over the Panthers on Monday.

"I got the word after our game [on Sunday]," said Rupp, who became the first player in franchise history to score two goals in his first game. "So I just grabbed about four or five days of clothes and hit the road."

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Rupp could be a valuable addition to the Devils, who could use another big, skilled forward on the roster.

Rupp was originally selected by the Islanders with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 draft. They never signed him, though, and he went back into the draft in 2000. With two average junior seasons on his resume, his stock dropped a bit. The Devils eventually chose him with the 76th overall pick.

He won't have to wait long to let the Islanders see what they missed. The Devils host Isles on Wednesday.

Rupp wasn't a big-time goal scorer in Albany, netting just 29 goals in 190 AHL games over the past two and half seasons. Devils goalie Marty Brodeur, who has seen a few goal scorers in his day, still wouldn't be surprised if Rupp has more success at this level.

"Some guys are better suited for the NHL game," Brodeur said. "From what I saw, it's pretty obvious he can play here."

Jan. 13: For Isles, D.C. stands for Damn Capitals
Right now, things can't get much better for the Capitals, who've quietly moved past the Lightning and into first place in the Southeast Division.

On Saturday, the Caps opened a four-game homestand with a 12-2 rout of the Panthers. The 12 goals and the 10-goal margin of victory tied a single-game franchise record, set Feb. 6, 1990, when they buried the Quebec Nordiques, 12-2.

On Monday night, the Islanders arrive in D.C. for an Eastern Conference tilt. And, that's more great news for the Caps, who are a ridiculous 21-1-3 (including two wins this season) against the Isles in their last 25 meetings dating back to 1997.

On home ice, the Caps' are nearly perfect against the Isles, going 10-0-2 since losing 2-0 on March 2, 1997. Only two current Islanders -- Kenny Jonsson and Claude Lapointe -- can remember winning a game in Washington.

The way the Caps have been playing in recent weeks, the Isles' prospects for getting a W on Monday don't look too good, either.

The Caps have picked up at least one point in each of their last 12 games, going 7-0-3-2 in that span. They haven't lost in regulation since Dec. 14, when they dropped a 2-0 decision to the Sharks (and former coach Ron Wilson) in San Jose. They haven't suffered a regulation loss at home since Nov. 29.

To make matters worse, the Isles also might be running into Jaromir Jagr at the wrong time. Against the Panthers, the Caps' somewhat inconsistent marquee player exploded for seven points (three goals, four assists) -- the same number of points he accumulated in his previous 14 games -- tying the team's single-game record and matching his own, set on Dec. 30, 1999, against none other than the Islanders.

Earlier Saturday, Jagr was named as a starter for his 11th All-Star Game. So, perhaps, he was celebrating the honor. Ironically, this year's game will be played at the Office Depot Center, the Panthers' home rink.

The Caps likely will start goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who brings 16 wins and an impressive .923 save percentage into the game. Like most of the Caps, Kolzig has been pretty hard on the Isles; he is 19-5-2 against New York.

Behind the flash of Jagr and the puck-stopping heroics of Kolzig stands defenseman Sergei Gonchar. The 28-year-old Russian might be the best two-way defender in the league. He has a command of the game at both ends of the rink. Gonchar has nine goals, 26 assists (35 points) and a team-best plus-21 rating.

First-year coach Bruce Cassidy also has been getting a lot out of versatile defender Ken Klee, who can double as a right wing. A solid and reliable defensive player, Klee has a plus-18 rating.

No, things couldn't be going much better for the Capitals, who, at least for now, are playing up to their potential.

At the bookstore...
Any hockey fan looking to for an education on the behind-the-scenes craziness of an NHL team should grab a copy of "Fish Sticks: The Fall and Rise of the New York Islanders," by Peter Botte and Alan Hahn.

The authors, beat writers who've each covered the Isles for nearly a decade, deliver a insider's look at the messy crash and sudden revival of the one-time NHL dynasty. The story reads like a real-life "Slapshot."

The book, which hits bookstores later this month, offers one strange-but-true tale after another about a franchise saved from the brink of extinction. Without a doubt, it's the best (and funniest) hockey book to hit the market in years.

Calling Dr. Bob
Barring a change of heart, ex-Avalanche coach Bob Hartley will be named the new coach of the Atlanta Thrashers on Monday. Hartley, who did a nice job at the AHL level before being hired by the Avs, will need a little more patience in Atlanta. He does, however, bring a ton of credibility to a franchise that could use some. For that reason, it would be an excellent hire for the Thrashers.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.