#Faceoff Weekend

[theultimatefan]

National Lacrosse League Opens Friday with NLL Faceoff Weekend: Ten Things to Know

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, opens its 37th season with five contests on “NLL Faceoff Weekend” with three games on Friday and two on Saturday.

Coming off a season of record-breaking attendance across the league and interest in the NLL and the sport of lacrosse at an all-time high, the off-season was an exciting one for the NLL, with storylines heightening the anticipation for 2023-24.

Here are 10 things to know about the NLL entering Week 1:

Fans can watch three of the five NLL Faceoff Weekend contests on linear broadcasts, beginning with the “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” doubleheader on Friday featuring the Saskatchewan Rush at Halifax Thunderbirds (7 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. AT), with broadcasters Pete Dalliday, Pat Gregoire, and Ashley Docking) followed by Panther City Lacrosse Club at Vancouver Warriors (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT), with Teddy Jenner, Brad Challoner, and Shantelle Chand).

In the “NLL Saturday Night Showcase on ESPN,” the Philadelphia Wings visit the New York Riptide (7:30 p.m. ET). The Albany FireWolves vs. Las Vegas Desert Dogs contest (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT) will also be seen locally in both markets (My4 in Albany, Fox 5 in Vegas).

The Buffalo Bandits, who open play on Dec. 9 at Albany, will be looking to repeat as NLL Champions, a feat that is rare in League history. The Rochester Knighthawks (now the Halifax Thunderbirds) were the last, pulling a threepeat with titles from 2012-14. The only other title defenses in League history were by the Toronto Rock (1999-2000) and (2002-03).

The Bandits’ championship last season was their 12th trip to the NLL Finals, the most in League history. The current Halifax Thunderbirds made ten appearances during their time as the original Rochester Knighthawks, and the Rock have made nine NLL Finals appearances.

All 135 regular season games and every playoff contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ and TSN+. The full schedule is available at https://www.nll.com/schedule/full-schedule/.

TSN will broadcast 20 Game of the Week contests, including at least one at each of the League’s five Canadian-based franchises. The schedule, subject to change, is available here: https://www.nll.com/news/2023-24-nll-game-of-the-week-on-tsn-schedule-announced/

In October, the NLL unveiled NLL UnBOXed™, the League’s new continent-wide grassroots campaign designed to bring the League’s fast-paced game to boys and girls in more communities across North America. The League also revealed the cities and branding for the nine non-NLL markets, available at https://www.nll.com/UnBOXed/.

The new NLL UnBOXed series will debut with the Toronto Rock and New York Riptide playing at Place Bell in Laval, Québec on Friday, February 16, 2024 in the first regular season game to be held in the province since 2002.

In September, the League unveiled new branding, including a refined primary logo, stylized wordmark, and for the first time, a French language “Ligue Nationale de Lacrosse” family of marks.

The 2023-24 NLL season will be the first under a new unified standings format and playoff structure which will feature a more balanced schedule across its 15 teams and a single-table, eight-team playoff qualification system that eliminates the geographical conferences.

Monday marked the debut of "War on the Floor: A Season with the San Diego Seals" on Prime Video, an all-access series that follows the expansion franchise throughout the 2021-2022 season. Search "War on the Floor" to watch the five episode series.

NLL.com's news bureau has been busy with numerous features every week. The latest series is the "NLL Top 50," counting down the league's best at each position. Next up, the forwards. See links to the other positions at the bottom of that article.

Schedule – Week 1 (All Times Eastern)

Friday

Saskatchewan Rush at Halifax Thunderbirds, 7 p.m., TSN, TSN+, ESPN+

Panther City Lacrosse Club at Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m., TSN, TSN+, ESPN+

Albany FireWolves at Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 10 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+, My4, Fox 5

Saturday

Calgary Roughnecks at Rochester Knighthawks, 7 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+

Philadelphia Wings at New York Riptide, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN+, TSN+

[dontdenymeshakespeare]

Faceoff Weekend

The Amazing Readathon is a readathon created by Brianna from Four Paws and a Book and co-hosted by many others in the BookTube and Bookstagram community. This one is based on the reality TV show The Amazing Race and it’s about spending the month of August travelling the world. There are prompts and ways you can get bonus points (team colour, BIPOC author, etc.). It turns out that we’re not…

[intheupside]

@TheFourthPeriod: The Amazon NHL docuseries, “Faceoff: Inside the NHL”, premieres Oct 4.

Season 1 has six episodes. Some of the featured talent includes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, William Nylander, Quinn Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Filip Forsberg, David Pastrnak & Jeremy Swayman (among others).

Paul Martin, Executive Producer of Drive to Survive, is also an EP for Faceoff.

They started to meet & chat with the NHL athletes in Feb in Toronto during All-Star Weekend. They’re going to show a type of authentic access we don’t often get or see.

[babydollmarauders]

GAME WINNER — NICO HISCHIER

nico hischier x fem!reader

summary: in which Nico gets rewarded for his game winning goal

warnings: MATURE CONTENT! oral (m receiving), nico having a “captain” kink, praise, not a lot of dialogue, not proofread.

notes: this could quite literally be trash, i’ve never written any kind of smut before, so if it’s horrible then please never expect smut from me again

it’s not often that i attend road games with my boyfriend. really, i’ve only been to three previously, but i had a long weekend off work and i was missing Nico. so, can anyone really blame me for giving into my temptations and buying an impulsive flight ticket to Arizona?

now here i sit, on the edge of my seat in Mullett Arena, waiting for the puck to drop again in overtime. i watch through the glass as my boyfriend switches places with Erik Haula for the faceoff, the puck drops and Nico wins it, sliding it back to Dougie.

Dougie passes the puck back to Nico, and my leg starts bouncing anxiously as he skates down the ice into the Coyotes defensive zone. Nico makes quick work of wristing the puck past the goalie and straight into the net, and i jump to my feet, clapping for him.

“YES! NEEKS!” i cheer, observing as he celebrates the win with his teammates. my thighs clench at the sight of his smirk, his cocky attitude more of a turn on than i’d like to admit.

the arena starts to empty out and i follow behind, due to meet with Nico back at his hotel. my mind races with thoughts that i hope nobody can read across my face; my plans for the night have been solidified.

**

the hotel room is empty when i arrive, which by no means surprises me. i estimate at least another half hour before Nico walks through the door, giving me plenty of time. i ruffle through Nico’s bag, pulling out one of his t-shirts, slipping my own off and unclasping my bra to leave me bare, i pull his shirt down over my head. i kick my shoes off and my jeans follow, being yanked off and shoved into my own bag, leaving my ass clad in red lace.

leaving my hair and makeup, i take a seat on the bed, scrolling through social media as i wait for my boyfriend to enter. as i predicted, it’s not until thirty minutes later that i hear the beep of the key card being scanned and the door opens to reveal Nico. his hair appears slightly damp from his post-game shower, and he’s switched back into his arrival suit.

he’s captivating.

“hi, darling.” he grins, walking over and dropping his phone, wallet, and airpods onto the nightstand. he leans down, dropping a chaste kiss to my lips, but i thread my hands into his hair, pulling him closer in an attempt to deepen it. he pulls back, a smirk spread across his lips once again tonight. “what was that for?”

“i’m so proud of you, captain.” my voice is sultry, dropped low in a seductive tone. his hands grip my waist as i rise from the bed. “you did so good tonight.”

“yeah?” smirk still painted onto his face, he pulls me flush against his body, his still hardening bulge pressing against me. “you’re proud, baby?”

“yeah.” i reiterate. it takes all my willpower to pull my body away from his, distancing myself. “let me show you how much.”

my hands push against his shoulders, and he allows my weak shove to knock him back onto the mattress, sitting at the edge of the bed. i drop to my knees slowly, placing my hands on his thighs as i do so, and look up at him through doe eyes and a bitten lip.

i let my touch graze up to his length, cupping it through his suit pants, and his hand comes up to roughly cup the back of my neck, using his grip to pull my lips to his in a dominant kiss. a moan escapes my throat as he sucks my lower lip, nipping gently at it in the heat of the moment. i smile into the kiss, allowing my fingers to wander down to button of his dress pants, undoing it before slipping my hand past the waistline of his underwear to palm him.

he stiffens for a moment at the cold touch before melting back into the kiss, relaxing into my contact. i part our lips, stroking him a few more times before i glide my hand free to pull his pants down. he assists me in my endeavor, letting his now fully erect cock spring free. my hand returns to it, stroking hard and slow as my tongue slips out to wet my lips.

Nico let’s out a shaky breath and i snake my other hand up to push his shirt up, watching with intrigue as his abs flex. noticing my gaze, he makes quick work of stripping off his suit jacket, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it hang open as he falls back onto his hands. i feel my core growing slick with want as i take in the erotic scene of my making, but push my own needs to the side.

tonight is about him.

leaning over, my tongue licks against his tip, making him shudder. i hollow out my cheeks as i go down, letting his cock slip past my lips just slightly. Nico brings one hand back to caress my cheek before using it to grip my hair in a makeshift ponytail, barely able to contain himself from thrusting into my mouth. peeking up at him through my lashes, his eyes are squeezed shut, his head dropped back as his chest rises and falls in a quick rhythm with shallow breaths, and it spurs me on to take him farther. i gag as his tip hits my throat, bobbing my head as i watch his reactions.

“y/n.” my name falls from his lips like a prayer, delighting my ears as he exhales it between groans. “fuck. you’re such a good girl.”

his praise causes my heart to pound in my chest, a moan bubbling up my throat. the vibrations of it reaching his cock, urging him to finally let loose and thrust into my throat. i gag once more, but power through it, breathing through my nose as he uses his grip on my hair to start guiding my head back and forth on his length. flattening my tongue along the underside of his shaft, i reach up to grip whatever can’t fit in my mouth, timing my strokes to match the bobs of my head.

Nico mutters some curses in german, his breathing picking up as his abdomen tightens again.

“i’m not gonna last long if you keep doing this, darling.” my lips lift as i smile around his dick, peeking up again to see him watching me as he bites his lip. my jaw starts to ache but i urge on, taking him as far as i can. i continue tugging at his cock as i pull back back to inhale a deep breath through my mouth, grinning up at him.

“i want you to come, captain.” my voice is hoarse from the violation of my throat, but my words still do the trick, making him moan and push my head back down towards his erection. i lick my lips once more before pushing his cock back past them, taking him as deep as i can muster, bobbing my head up and down as i suck around him.

i can feel his pull on my hair get tighter, hear his breath being held for longer, his tell that he’s about to tip over the edge, and i reach my free hand up to trail over his bare stomach, lightly grazing my fingertip down his abs. he groans out more german curses before i finally feel him come undone, ropes of cum coating my mouth as i continue through his climax. when he’s done, he pulls my lips off of his quickly softening cock, his hand dropping my hair and making its way to my cheek as he watches me swallow.

i stay seated on the floor as i watch him tuck himself back into his pants before i climb back up onto the bed.

“that proud, huh?” he teases, gripping my thigh as he pulls me to straddle his waist.

“probably prouder than that.” i whisper, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.

“i love you.” he mumbles, his hand gliding up and down my spine.

“i love you more, game winning goal scorer.” he chuckles at my words before flipping us over so he hovers above me, his hand trailing to my front and down to my core.

“now how should i take care of you?”

-

-

-

[missjomarch]

No Getting Out of This

Luca Fantilli x reader

Word count: 2.7k

Warnings: big bad curse words (that’s it)

A/N: I may or may not already have a part 2 written for this 🧍🏽‍♀️

Luca was going to die. Not literally, but it is entirely possible he’d stroke out. You and the Fantillis all had a running bet going on his reaction.

It was mid February, and the boys were playing Ohio State in the Faceoff on the Lake. Not only that, but you and Luca’s one year anniversary was that weekend. Luca had really wanted you to be there, but you told him that you had 3 big tests this week that you couldn’t miss. That had been a bit of a lie. You did have tests, but after a phone call from Adam about Luca’s depressive state you decided you could make it work. You were able to convince your professors to let you to take the exams earlier in the week, and Adam helped you book a flight to Ohio.

You hadn’t seen Luca in over a month and it was killing you both. You went to school in Texas, so making it up to Michigan during the school year was nearly impossible. You watched all of Luca’s games on the TV, and he’d call you after to give you the on-ice details. He appreciated it, but you knew it’d never be the same as you sitting in the stands of Yost. He wanted nothing more than to see you wearing a maize colored jersey with a 63 on the back, letting the whole stadium know you were his girl. It killed you to be unable to give that to him, but your education came first.

Ironically, the last time you saw Luca was when they played OSU at home in January. You were a sophomore, but you and Luca were the same age. Spring semester was always busy for you, and you had just barely been able to make it up before your classes started. You both wanted to get in one last game of his freshman year, knowing you might not make it to another this season. That was until Adam called you last weekend. He explained how down Luca had been, clearly missing you more than you anticipated. So you booked the flight.

You and Adam had coordinated your arrival for Friday night so you’d be there to surprise Luca before the game on Saturday. Julia had just picked you up from the airport and was taking you back to the hotel, where you’d hide while the Fantillis went out for a family dinner. They had gotten you your own room, and you’d basically be stuck in there until Luca became aware of your presence on Saturday morning.

Once you arrived at the hotel, Julia snuck you into their room. Adam was in charge of distracting his brother but you had to literally hide in the closet until you received the all clear text from Julia. Once deemed safe, you made your way out of the closet. Looking around the room, you found the Fantillis had left you some money for vending machine snacks.

Ever the providers. You thought to yourself. Now you knew where Luca got it from. He was constantly buying you things. When you were together, he never allowed you to pay for anything. Most definitely not food, but he’d even pick up your grocery or shopping bill if he was with you. Your venmo was only further proof of this. If you mentioned being hungry or going to get coffee after class, he’d send you a quick $10 to cover it. Having always been incredibly independent, you argued over this often. Nevertheless, you were thankful they had thought about you. Your phone dinged, breaking you from your thoughts of Luca.

Adam

boys are in 104 if you wanna say hi

You smiled at the screen, liking the message before making your way to the door. You walked the hall until you found the room the boys were in, and you knocked on the door. You heard some shouts on the other side before Rutger opened the door. He looked rather annoyed until his eyes landed on your short frame in the door way.

“No fucking way.” He mumbled.

“Who is it?” Someone shouted from the abyss of the room. Rutger stepped away from the door a bit, allowing the boys to see you standing there. You heard a screech and before you can react, Mark is running to you and snatching you in his arms.

“BESTIE IS HERE!” He screams, mimicking a high pitched voice you assume is meant to be yours. Rutger closes the door behind you as Mark drags you into the room. The commotion is slightly deafening, all the boys asking their own version of “where’d you come from” and “why’re you here.” You had assumed Adam told them you were coming, clearly you were wrong.

“Yo wreck-it Ralph, I can’t breathe.” You groan to Mark and he releases you, suddenly allowing you to breathe. You gulp air for a moment as the boys stare at you.

“Does Luca know you’re here?” Ethan speaks up, a slight smirk on his face. You shake your head.

“No it’s a secret, we’re gonna surprise him tomorrow.”

“Oh he’s going to be sooo mad we got you for a whole night before him.” Mark giggles, messing up your hair. You scrunch your nose at him, attempting to fix the frizz.

“Don’t brag, Estapa. You remember what happened last time.” You refer to the last time you had surprised Luca, which was last fall after you got an early start to fall break. You had texted Mark to pick you up from the airport and insisted you go get lunch while Luca was still in class. He bragged about his time spent with you all day until Luca literally locked him out of the house.

“Trust me, I won’t. I want to sleep inside this trip.” The boys laughed at this. You made your way to one of the beds, and plopped down. You settled in, deciding to hijack their snacks rather than spending the Fantillis money. Mark sat beside you and you all spent the night watching movies and discussing the game the next day.

“Y/n, you’re gonna be at family skate tomorrow right?” You snapped your head up at Rutgers question. You could see the smiles spread on Mark and Ethan’s faces as Rutger stared at you.

“Oh you bet she is,” Mark patted your shoulder in a taunting way. You glared at him from your spot on the bed.

“Hush up, Estapa. You know I don’t skate.”The room erupted at his comment. You were from the south and, despite being a hockey player’s girlfriend, you had only been on skates once. It scared you, honestly. Luca had asked many times, but you usually refused. It wasn’t a secret, but discussing your lack of skating experience in a room full of hockey players probably wasn’t your brightest idea.

Luke’s voice rose above the rest, “Oh come ON, what do you mean you don’t skate you’re dating-“ Luke rambled on, baffled by your fear of the ice. The rest of the team - besides Mark and Ethan - was equally shocked, not comprehending how someone could just not skate. Then the convincing began. The boys all threw in their various thoughts, all offering to teach you. They were wasting their breath. If Luca couldn’t get you in skates, what makes them think they could?

“Yeah, come on y/n/n I’ll give you $50 if you get out on the ice tomorrow.” Duker offered, and his face was serious.

“Listen Dukes I really don’t-“ You were cut off by the door opening, mentally thanking whoever saved you from this conversation. You all turn to the door, expecting to see one of the boys coming back from downstairs. Instead, you’re met with Adam fantilli’s shocked expression. He was supposed to text you when they left dinner so you could be safely hidden away in your room before Luca’s return. You never got the text. Knowing your boyfriend can’t be far behind, you throw the blanket you were using over your body to hide. Mark helps adjust it over you before shifting his body ontop of yours to hide the awkward shaped lump you’ve created.

“How was the Tilli family dinner?” Ethan questions from across the room, everyone else is silent. You hear Luca’s voice as he enters the room, and your heart begins to race. Familiar butterflies fill you with warmth at the sound of your boyfriend’s voice. Even after a year, it’s almost enough to get you crawling out from under the blanket.

“Which one of you idiots invited a girl in here? I swear a heard a voice-“ Luca is cut off by the guys’ quick denial.

“Nah man you probably just heard something from the tv.” Mark grumbles from on top of you. You roll your eyes, knowing they had just been watching a hockey game.

“Hope so, you know coach will have our asses. Mark, can you move dude? I wanna sit down.” You hold your breath, waiting to see how Mark will play this off.

“Oh no thanks man. I’m quite comfortable here actually.” Mark says, and you can hear the grin in his voice.

“Come on, Estapa you’re literally in MY bed. Get your ass up.” Mark’s weight remains on you but you can see Luca’s shadow move closer to the bed through the blanket. Mark shifts the tiniest bit and you barely hear him whisper.

“Sorry I tried.” He’s already accepted defeat. Nevertheless, he turns back to Luca.

“You’re gonna have to move me yourself, bro.” Luca sighs heavily, and then the bed is jolting. You can’t see anything besides their shadows tumbling, but you can definitely feel the boys fighting atop you.

“Get your…” someone rolls over you, you swallow your groan, “fat ass OFF my bed Estapa or so help me-“ suddenly you can breathe again as all 206 pounds of Mark Estapa roll off of you and into the floor with a thud.

“Ouch…” mark groans from the floor. You want to laugh, but you hold it in to avoid disclosing your position. The rest of the boys are laughing at the commotion, seemingly forgetting you were there.

“Finally, damn.” Luca sighes. You hear him slip off his shoes and feel the bed dip beside you as he sits down. He scoots until he’s in the middle, stopping literally right in front of you. You know it’s over when he begins to lean back against you, so you stick your hands out from the blanket to grab his sides. Luca let’s out a girlish screech, laughter erupting around the room.

“WHAT THE FUCK” Luca screams, bounding off the bed. You take that time to pull the blanket off you, revealing yourself to your boyfriend. The fear on his face melts to shock as he finds your face staring back at him. You grin at him as he gapes, smiles finding the faces of the boys surrounding you as well.

“Surprise baby,” you beam, holding out your arms slightly. Your face drops slightly as you notice the tears that have begun gathering in your boyfriend’s eyes. It hadn’t occurred to you that maybe he didn’t want you here. Maybe you shouldn’t have come unannounced like this…

You’re unable to finish the thought as Luca bounds across the bed towards your open arms. He ends up basically tackling you before burying his face in your neck.

“Are you serious? Are you real?” Luca questions, hands gripping your waist like he thought you might disappear. You briefly register the boys filing out of the room, Adam saluting you before closing the door and leaving you with Luca.

“Yeah I’m here, love.” You thread your fingers through his newly trimmed mullet, pressing soft kisses to his hairline. He pulls his head from your neck slightly and you can see the tears that have fallen.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see my boy, of course. Why else?” You smile down at him. He sniffles slightly as you begin to wipe the tears from his soft cheeks.

“I thought you couldn’t come. What happened to your tests?” Luca’s face was back in between your head and shoulder, and you giggled slightly as his mumbling tickled your neck.

“I took them earlier this week. Adam helped me fly out and plan everything.” You explained. Luca’s head snapped up at this.

“That asshole has been so smug all week, this explains everything.” Luca grumbles. You laugh at his attitude towards his brother.

“I was going to hide tonight and surprise you tomorrow, but you kind of ambushed my plan.” Luca snorts at this, pushing himself up onto an elbow beside you. His arm still clasped tightly around your waist, rubbing circles into your side.

“Sorry about your plan, but I’m glad I did. I think any longer without you and I would’ve died.” He smirked at you, knowing you’d scold him for the dramatics.

“That’s a bit excessive Lu, you thought I wasn’t coming anyways.” You bring an arm up to rest on the side of his face.

“Yeah but I’ll play so much better now that I know you’re here,” Luca leans in, “you know I gotta impress my girl.”

“Is that so?” You smirk back at him, a teasing smile making its way onto his features as he nods.

“Mhmm..” Luca hums. He leans in to finally close the space between you, catching your lips in his for a kiss. It’s less than a minute until he’s pushing you into the mattress slightly, attempting to deepen the kiss. However, you’re pushing against his chest before he can succeed. He frowns at your denial, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“We have plenty of time for that, baby. Wait for Sunday.” Luca groans, tipping his head back towards the ceiling. You roll your eyes once again at his dramatics.

“Early arrival calls for early celebration, now hush and let me have my girl.” He captured your lips again and this time you don’t pull away. Allowing the kiss to take a passionate turn, not bothering to control your small moans. Luca’s hands are all over you, and yours are entangled in his hair. His tongue swipe at your bottom lip, and you grant him access to deepen the connection. After what feels like hours, you both break away. Left breathing heavily with swollen red lips, you smile softly. Luca doesn’t go far, still hovering over you to mumble against your mouth.

“You don’t understand how much I needed this right now, how much I needed you. I missed you more than anything.” Luca’s words sent warmth spreading through you. You rested your forehead against his as your thumb rubbed soft patterns against his cheek.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, baby. An outdoor game AND an anniversary? It’s a big weekend.” Luca nodded.

“I’m just so glad you’re here. Gonna give you full princess treatment for this on Sunday.” He pressed another light peck to your lips.

“Gonna score a goal for me Fantilli?” You mused, that teasing grin making its way back to your face.

“For you, my love? I’ll score a million goals.” His head dips down into your neck again, this time pressing feather light kisses to your sensitive skin. You melt into his touch, allowing his lips to soothe you. It wasn’t inherently sexual, often interrupted by fits of giggles or momentary cuddles. Nothing existed outside of this moment, it was just the two of you. That was until Luca’s lips detached from your jaw, a devious smirk reappearing on his face.

“So what is this I hear about you joining us on the ice for family skate tomorrow?” You groan loudly at this, knowing now there was no way out of this. You grab the pillow from behind your head and shove it into Luca’s face.

“Wipe off that shit eating grin, Duker is giving me 50 bucks.” Luca giggles to himself, giddy with excitement. He pulls you to him, placing a kiss to your temple.

“My girls gonna be a skater.”

You sigh, “don’t get used to it Fantilli.” But you could still feel Luca’s broad smile as his head returned to your neck.

Yeah. There’s no getting out of this one.

[cobrakaisb]

ig edit with eddy for the family skate/whole weekend of faceoff on the lake

you got it bae!!

yourusername

liked by edwards.73, markestapa, and others

yourusername watched my boyfriend(s) play hockey & took mom photos 😚

tagged mackie.samo, edwards.73, and markestapa

view top comments

markestapa and they were roommates 😗

↪️ yourusername oh my god 😲 they were roommates ���

mackie.samo my boy with the eye black

↪️ edwards.73 looking drippy

lhughes_06 so the actual model roommate doesn’t get a candid

↪️ yourusername nope sorry

↪️ lhughes_06 @americaneagle unsponsor her

↪️ yourusername cah caw bitch 🦅

edwards.73 all honesty, glad you came this weekend 💗

↪️ mackie.samo SIMP ALERT

↪️ markestapa sound the alarms

↪️ lhughes_06 they’re blaring 🚨

[luke-hughes43]

so we know that steve holtz was sick and missed 3 months during his junior season. mel could feel the void of steve not being around. after all, they were study buddies.

the weekend that he came back against wisconsin, mel was over the moon. she took the first faceoff with him, glad he was back. she went back and forth playing with steve and luke the whole game, until the second period when coach asked her to play forward.

she's playing center and playing hard. she takes a dirty hit from behind into the boards in the second period, directly on her bad shoulder. she feels her shoulder pop out of its socket as she falls.

she grabs it in pain but sees the sticks flying and players pushing and shoving each other and rolls on it to get back in place before getting up and in the action.

she stands up just in time to see luke cross checking a guy and rutger throwing someone in a headlock. she smiles and gets right in grabbing someone from behind and pulling them back and down onto the ice. he gets up and pushes back, "don't fucking touch me."

luke comes over, "don't put your filthy fucking hands on her."

steve comes over and it turns into a line brawl. the ref breaks it up and takes mel, luke, and steve to the box. the 3 of them sit in the box with grins on their faces. steve says, "back like i never left, eh?"

"no doubt steve." mel giggles. luke shakes his head and then asks, "on a serious note, mel how's the shoulder?"

"i'm fine. hurt when he first hit me but i'm fine." she says patting luke's leg. she's fully lying through her teeth to him, having had to pop it back into place and it's really painful but she'll get through it.

[msmargaretmurry]

idk if you’re still doing the fanfic title ask thing but if you are, mattdrai + neutral zone

i feel like this would be a sweet, funny little story where they have their bye weeks at the same time and coincidentally wind up on vacation at the same resort. big romcommy vibes. more of a @bropunzeling style joint than my own usual style, but i would do my best 😂

obviously leon's there with connor, third-wheeling with him and lauren, since they're coming straight from the all-star game. matthew, also coming straight from the asg, is flying in to meet up with some friends — maybe brady's bye week was before the asg, but robby thomas, or some florida pals, or whoever are there. mostly i just want him to be free of familial obligations so that he can let his freak flag fly.

anyway, the all-star weekend was good for everyone involved — let's say this is set this coming year, so no one was thrilled about going to cold toronto and losing out on three extra days of real vacation, not like florida, which was basically just extra vacation, but it was fun enough. neither the pacific or the atlantic won; none of our main cast here became the main character of the weekend, but there were some fun moments. matthew and leon didn't really talk during the asw, didn't really talk during last year's asw (although, to be fair, matthew was very busy playing host last year), because the thing is, they don't really have any reason to interact now that they're not in the same division.

leon didn't think he'd miss it, but he kind of misses it. the battle of alberta isn't nearly as exciting now. matthew pissed him off a lot when they were younger, yeah, but he has always been fun to play against. the 2020 asg was the first time they ever had a real conversation and it wasn't a big thing or anything, but it was kind of a turning point in the somewhat one-sided animosity, and by the time the 2022 playoffs rolled around, they had developed this kind of almost-friendly (slightly flirty?) respect. matthew still pissed him off on the ice, yeah, but they had some laughs, too, at faceoff circles, between whistles. leon started to believe the people that said, well, if he was on your team you'd love him.

and then matthew got himself traded to florida, built himself a happy new life there, became the main character of the nhl, etc. leon's not not happy for him, but maybe, when he thinks about it in certain moods, he does prickle a little at how easily matthew left the alberta of it all behind.

meanwhile matthew figures they were all just glad to be rid of him. he's been having a great time in florida. a great enough time that it's mostly healed the sting of how his last season in calgary ended and how frustrating his career there was sometimes. there was a time in his life when he would have really, really liked for leon draisaitl to like him, but he's totally past that now.

anyway, due to a series of somewhat comedic near-misses at the airport, they don't realize they're going to the same place until they get onto the plane and they're all in first class: matthew, leon, connor, lauren. everyone's like uhhhhh ?? but matthew makes a joke, retreats to his seat behind them, puts his headphones on, doesn't make conversation except to charm the flight attendants. when they land, connor asks him where he's headed, if he wants to share their cab. matthew politely declines. he's not trying to be anti-social, he's just not trying to intrude on someone else's vacation.

but, of course, the resort isn't huge. it takes, like, a day for matthew's group to run into leon again — at the tiki bar on the beach, where leon is loitering even though lauren and connor are down by the water, because he's feeling particularly third wheel-y today. matthew had the right idea, finding a whole group to glom onto after the asg. all this to say, he's kind of relieved to see other people he kind of knows, even if it all feels a little awkward. but hey, they're on vacation. everyone can be friends here.

cue a beachy vacation montage of drinking and laughing and playing volleyball on the beach and splashing into the water — leon (and often connor and lauren — i feel like there are other wags around with matthew's group of friends) gets kind of folded into the group, and here on vacation away from all the hockey stuff, past rivalries, etc, it turns out that they just kind of click. they're both super competitive, even about dumb things like beach volleyball — but that's fun when the stakes are low, when they're on the same team. matthew's always checking in to make sure leon's having a good time if he's hanging with them while connor and lauren are off doing coupley things — he's always making sure everyone's having a good time, really, and leon starts to really get why his teammates in florida talk about him the way they do. leon is surprisingly funny and surprisingly affectionate when he doesn't want to kill you, and matthew keeps getting that old familiar feeling that he'd really like for leon to like him.

it's only like two days in when they get tipsy and hook up, which is probably a good thing, because it's so mind-bogglingly hot that if they'd held out until the end of the week and just did it once at the end, they would have both gone a little crazy not getting to do it again right away. cue all sorts of sneaking off to have all sorts of gross, sweaty vacation sex, and maybe getting a little obsessed with each other in the process.

the last night of the trip, the whole combined group of them has a big dinner on the beach and everyone just hangs out until late, long after the sun goes down. matthew and leon keep not-so-subtly making eyes at each other, trying to gauge when they're gonna sneak off to go wreck each other, but matthew is also a little in his head about this being the last day of vacation, because he's 100% sure this is gonna be a "what happened in bye week stays in bye week" situation, which is how it should be, anything else would be too complicated and make no sense, but he knows that despite knowing all that logically, it's gonna do a number on him to fly home alone after this whirlwind — whatever it is, with leon, so at some point he disappears, and after a while leon finds him sitting down by the water a little ways away, looking out at the ocean.

leon goes to sit with him. kisses his shoulder, but doesn't try to make conversation. he kind of thinks he knows what matthew's thinking, but it takes him a while to figure out what to say about it in a way that won't be too embarrassing if he's wrong. eventually he settles on, "we should do this again sometime."

matthew looks over, surprised. "you'd want to?"

leon shrugs. "i mean. it's been fun, right?"

and then they make out on the beach, and then they go back to one of their rooms and have sex, and then shower sex, and then morning sex, all of it increasingly clingy in a way they will not discuss until, like, sexcation #4 at least, but leon does kiss matthew's cheek when they part ways at the airport later, and matthew's friends tease him mercilessly about it for the rest of the day.

[3416]

Auston Matthews opens up about the hand injury that’s hampered him

By Jonas Siegel | Mar 15, 2023 | The Athletic

There’s been this sense for much of the season that something wasn’t quite right with Auston Matthews.

It was clear in the numbers — so eye-popping the year before, so good-but-not-great for months this year. But you could also just see it. Matthews didn’t look like the guy who nudged Connor McDavid aside for the Hart Trophy last season, the one who scored 60 goals and ran over anybody in his way.

He fumbled pucks. He missed the net. He fired fewer of those patented, mostly unstoppable wrist shots. The variety in his shooting diminished. Matthews was even held without a single shot in one game in early November for only the sixth time in his career.

After the trade deadline earlier this month, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas conceded what long seemed apparent but was never definitively acknowledged — that Matthews had “played through some injuries and things that have hampered him.”

But what injuries and things exactly?

Of late, I’d noticed that Matthews was starting to shoot the puck with force again and wondered if he was feeling similarly. I asked him as much in a brief 1-on-1 interview after a recent practice and he responded by revealing at least part of what was really going on.

“I think my hand and everything has been feeling a lot better, just stronger,” Matthews said, acknowledging the nature of that injury for the first time. “So yeah, I’d have to agree with you there. Just shooting it a little bit more fluidly I’d say.”

A hand injury, on top of other bumps and bruises in what’s been an injury-plagued year, explains a lot.

A hand injury would obviously be limiting to arguably the greatest shooter in the world. It would explain why Matthews has shot the puck less this season – 12.6 attempts per 60 minutes, down from 13.9 last year. It would explain why his shooting has been less precise at times, why he seemed to be missing the net more than usual. It would explain why his puck handling, an underrated part of his dominance over the years, just didn’t seem as sharp. It would explain why his faceoffs and takeaways were down.

“It was bothering me,” Matthews told me. “It just felt like something was off. I just felt like not completely, like I wasn’t able to do exactly what I wanted to at times.”

There have been signs that the old Matthews, an admittedly healthier Matthews, is re-emerging. When the Leafs played in Calgary on March 2, Matthews shot the puck as aggressively (and mostly accurately) as he had all season. He had seven shot attempts in the first period alone. He uncorked a dangerous one-timer in the second and an overpowering wraparound a couple minutes later.

Last weekend, Matthews went head-to-head with McDavid, the best player in the league by a mile this season, and won the matchup with grit, determination, and two-way skill. (The Leafs won 72 percent of the expected goals in their 9.5 minutes opposite one another at 5-on-5.). His shot looked like it was back.

That’s the fluidity that Matthews was talking about.

It’s unclear when exactly the hand injury first emerged — we know Matthews had surgery on his left wrist before last season — or how long it was bugging him. It’s possible it’s been an on-and-off sort of thing all year. Matthews missed three weeks with a knee injury in late January/early February, time off that was presumably beneficial for the hand injury.

On the state of his shooting during those times when his hand was still bothering him, he said: “Just maybe not as strong honestly, and (it) just didn’t feel as fluid. I think sometimes it can be like a number of different things, whether it’s footwork or stuff like that.

“Now it’s feeling a lot better.”

The fluidity was a big thing, Matthews said. And getting that back, he said, involved more than just getting his hand healthy. That’s where pre-practice skill development sessions with Darryl Belfry really paid off.

“I really enjoy the skills sessions before practice,” Matthews said. “I just think you can get a lot out of it. You jump into a regular practice, you’re not really thinking too much about that kind of stuff.”

“I think it’s nice to get those kind of touches and get that kind of skill work that you wouldn’t necessarily get throughout practice and then try to maybe implement some stuff too,” he said.

Practice could be repetitive throughout the long 82-game grind and didn’t really allow for that kind of specific skill work (which is why the Leafs under Dubas and Sheldon Keefe implemented those skill sessions in the first place).

It wasn’t unlike a shooter in the NBA, Steph Curry say, fine-tuning his three-point shot outside the confines of practice.

“Just getting repetitions,” Matthews said, “and shots and putting yourself in those kinds of situations and movements that you’d be in during a game and in situations and trying to work through different stuff.”

A lot of it came down to the footwork (another underrated part of Matthews’ shooting). And you can see from his maneuvering against the Sabres earlier this week that he’s found that rhythm again.

“A nice fluidity I’d say,” Matthews said.

He scored his 31st goal of the year by driving hard to the net, following up on a play that started in the Leafs zone.

Matthews has scored in three straight games (and also added three assists) and fired 29 shots on goal on 45 attempts in his last five outings. That’s almost six shots on nine attempts per game.

That’s more like the Matthews who led the NHL with 348 shots – 4.8 per game – on 599 (!) attempts last season.

It speaks to his greatness that Matthews is still on pace to score 40 goals playing through injuries all season. He recently clinched his seventh straight 30-goal season, one for every year he’s been in the league. For context, consider that John Tavares, long one of the NHL’s better players, hit 30 for the sixth time in his career the same night last weekend that Matthews got there again.

It’s obviously a big deal for the Leafs that Matthews is feeling healthy(ier) again, more like himself, more like one of the greatest players in the world. They need that dude if they have any chance of not only getting by Tampa in the first round, but making a serious run at the Stanley Cup.

They may have that dude back.

[krakenshipwreck]

omg you guys, kci put up a giant mural of matty and shane taking a faceoff against each other with jagger firkus in the background. larger than life. an entire wall. it’s like they asked me personally what niche imagery i would most like to grace the hallway of my home rink. i didn’t have my phone with me today but i can’t wait to post a pic this weekend so you can all appreciate this glorious development with me.

[devilsupdates]

5 Bargain Free Agents the Devils Must Target

May 21, 2024 by Josh Reinitz

Heading into the offseason, the New Jersey Devils have multiple issues. The most pressing is finding a new head coach. With the search narrowed to, at most, four potential candidates and with a decision expected before the holiday weekend, the next focus should be planning for free agency. The Devils will head into the offseason with almost $19 million in available cap space (Per CapFriendly). They will be 16th in the NHL in available cap space. However, those numbers may change drastically should the team enter into an extension with pending restricted free agent (RFA) Dawson Mercer and/or acquire a top-level goaltender without offsetting salary.

Earlier this week, AFP Analytics released detailed projections for every free agent to hit the market this summer. While no model is ever 100% predictive, AFP’s version gives a good baseline on what players can expect to cost in the offseason. The Devils are fortunate to have their core locked up on long-term, team-friendly deals or entry-level contracts. The only core member they have to decide on is the aforementioned Mercer, who they could even punt on for the time being and tender a qualifying offer, as he is still a year removed from having arbitration rights.

Even with the core locked up, the Devils are not without needs. General manager Tom Fitzgerald has indicated he wants to construct a team that is more difficult to play against and made up of players you can win with. He has considerable assets ready to compete in any trade market he deems appropriate with a top-ten draft pick and young, talented, inexpensive players like Alexander Holtz and Seamus Casey who could be made available. With the bigger moves likely to come in the trade market, the Devils should use free agency to build depth and fill in around the edges. The most glaring places needing depth are a bottom-six forward, penalty-killing/defense-first defenseman, and middle-six depth on the wing. Here is a look at five players projected to cost under $3 million per year, who the Devils should kick the tires on July 1.

Kevin Stenlund, Center – Projection: 2 Years x $1.34 Million

Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito signed center Kevin Stenlund as a free agent on July 1, 2023, to add depth to his bottom six due to his familiarity with him from both their days in Columbus. Stenlund has fit well in head coach Paul Maurice’s system and bolstered a strong bottom-six in Florida’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. The Devils spent much of the second half of last season trying to fill the enormous void left by the departure of Michael McLeod after being charged with sexual assault in conjunction with other members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team. Stenlund, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-handed center, could be the answer New Jersey has been seeking. Stenlund would be the only right-handed primary centerman on the Devils, but he is also a dangerous penalty killer with two short-handed goals in each of his last two seasons. His underlying numbers in 2023-24 were not perfect for a bottom-six center. However, it was only his first full season in the NHL, and there is room for improvement. Getting in on Stenlund at this time in his career could be a boon for whichever team ultimately signs the Swede. It is difficult to find a center entering his prime who stands 6-foot-4, is right-handed, wins faceoffs over 50% of the time, kills penalties, and will cost you less than $1.5 million a season. He has been an integral part of Florida’s success, having logged over 106 bottom-six minutes at 5v5 in this year’s playoffs without having been on the ice for a goal against. He has also shown improvement in handling the puck, limiting his giveaways to 14 total this season after being credited with 12 in just 54 games last season. Stenlund would be a welcome addition to the Devils’ bottom six, forming an intimidating line with the likes of Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian/Kurtis MacDermid, and his ability to kill penalties would also allow the new coach to better focus the ice time of some of their forwards drafted into PK service last season. On balance, Stenlund is a fit for New Jersey in terms of play and price.

William Carrier, Left Wing – Projection: 2 Years x $2.4 Million

The Golden Knights do not have a selection in the second through fifth rounds of this year’s NHL Draft. Carrier is one of the diamonds in the rough of this year’s free agent class. He could even be someone the Devils wisely target before July 1 by expending capital to acquire his rights in a trade with Vegas for a later-round pick. Watching the playoffs this season, Carrier’s skill was fully on display. He is a capable puck-transporter as a winger and has the speed to threaten defenses and the bite to hamper opposing offenses. Notably, in a series his team lost, the save percentage at 5v5 with him on the ice was still almost 93%, and only two goals were scored against him in nearly 75 minutes of ice time. In this year’s playoffs alone, he was ranked in the 81st percentile in top speed and 92nd percentile for the number of speed bursts above 22 mph while only playing in one round. (Per NHL Edge)

The only nagging concern about Carrier is his inability to stay healthy. He has never played a full 82 games in a season but has always been available in the postseason for Vegas. The Devils should have enough depth with Lazar, Bastian, MacDermid, and Nolan Foote to rest Carrier throughout the season as needed. With the style of play he brings, it is natural to need additional rest, and it is a trade-off the Devils should be willing to accept for the chance to add a fast, 29-year-old winger who averages 244 hits per 82 games for under $2.5 million.

Brenden Dillon, Left Defense – Projection: 2 Years x $2.86 Million

While a bit pricier than the others on this list, defenseman Brenden Dillon solves enough of New Jersey’s issues to be worth the extra cash. At 33 years old, he is closer to the end than the start of his career, but with that age comes a vast amount of regular season and playoff experience. Two seasons ago, the Devils learned that playing defensemen with top-four talent on your third pair pays huge dividends and should strongly consider doing the same with Dillon. He mostly closely resembles former Devil Ryan Graves in size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, but even though he is six years older, he is still a better, faster skater than Graves (Per NHL Edge) and brings more edge and aggression.

Dillon has never been shy about standing up for his teammates, a quality that is valued by New Jersey. This season, he participated in seven fights, many of which were in response to liberties taken by opponents on other Jets. He is also a premier penalty killer and defensive defenseman without sacrificing mobility and the ability to move the puck out of danger by passing or skating. This season he was credited with 241 hits and 111 blocks, both would have led New Jersey as would his career 82-game average of 198 hits and 110 blocks. Dillon has demonstrated durability throughout his 13-year career, having played at least 76 games every full season since his rookie year. The Devils may have to go up for a more favorable average annual value (AAV), but a three-year deal at $2.5 million AAV makes sense for both parties.

Jordan Martinook, Winger – Projection: 3 Years x $2.765 Million One of the easiest ways to improve your team is to take talent from your competitors. Signing middle-six winger Jordan Martinook would do just that for New Jersey. In his end-of-season press conference, Fitzgerald said he needed players he could win with on his roster. Martinook is that type of player. His counting stats belie his value, but every good team has players like him. The 31-year-old winger can play on either side of any line in the bottom nine and kill penalties. His play to save a goal in Game 6 vs. the New York Rangers in this year’s playoffs will be replayed forever. His success last season against the Devils in the playoffs should also not be lost on Fitzgerald.

The Carolina Hurricanes dominated in the regular season at 5v5 with Martinook on the ice. His expected goals for percentage (xGF%) and Corsi For percentage (CF%) were over 60. The team also had 218 more scoring chances than their opponents with Martinook on the ice. Forming a line of Ondrej Palat, Erik Haula, and Martinook would provide the team with one of the peskiest third lines in the NHL. He also brings durability. He has never played less than 77 games in his six non-COVID-impacted seasons. His skating would fit in with the Devils’ style of play as his speed bursts rank him in the 80th percentile in the NHL for bursts above 20 and 22 mph. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 33 points per season, but the offense is not on top of the Devils’ list. However, his ability to score in the clutch and provide secondary scoring in the playoffs is highly valued. Martinook’s signing would signal a power shift within the division, and the Devils should be all in for the winger.

Jani Hakanpaa, Defenseman – Projection: 1 Year x $1.51 Million

Much like Dillon, Jani Hakanpaa would bring size, stability, and experience as an affordable third-pair defenseman. Also, like Dillon, Hakanpaa may be forced out of the Dallas Stars lineup, not due to his play but the emergence of young prospects. The 6-foot-6 225-pound Finn has less mileage on him than Dillon but is equally effective and is right-handed. Should the Devils decide to hold onto Kevin Bahl and/or move John Marino, they may see the need for depth on the right side, making Hakanpaa a perfect fit.

Hakanpaa has been forced out of this year’s playoffs with an injury but will slot back into the Stars lineup once he is physically able. He spent most of the season as the Stars’ shutdown pair teamed with Esa Lindell. The pair was also the team’s first choice on the penalty kill. Like Dillon, Hakanpaa also brings unique physicality with an 82-game average of 265 hits and 127 blocks. Hakanpaa would be a welcome addition to New Jersey, especially if he only required a one-year deal; he would essentially take the cap hit and role that was envisioned for Colin Miller at the start of the season and not encumber the Devils’ long-term plans on the back end with contracts for Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec coming due in short order.

There are bargains to be had in free agency this season, and the Devils must be buyers if they want to reclaim their place in the postseason. These five players are a good start, but others out there could fit the bill, like former Devils Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen, to name two. How Fitzgerald decides to build around his core will go a long way toward determining for how long the team’s championship window remains open.

[themerlinlibrary]

Favourites Friday (Sept 2023) – Self-Rec Round: World Building

TML Favourites Friday round-up! September 2023 round 5 (SRR)

What is Favourites Friday? – The Basics

a different theme is announced on Friday each week; FF recs must match the theme of the week

only one FF rec per person per week/theme

FF recs must be unique within that week/theme; no double-posting the same fic for one theme!

no self-recs during regular rounds

only self-recs during self-rec rounds (last Friday of each month)

Theme for this self-rec round: World Building!

The Night is Long by thetreeofwillow G, 7.9k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Era; Winter Fest

The Court of Avalon by Imagined T, 57k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Era, Post-Canon

The Great Dragon by s0mmerspr0ssen T, 71k, Gen Canon Era AU; War, Dragons

Worshipping You From The Darkest Of Corners (Like I'm Practicing My Own Private Religion) by lavender_spice E, 11k, Merlin/Arthur Dystopian AU, Cyberpunk AU, Priest AU

Blackout, Beaming, Gold by Zaharya, with art by Sunfall M, 18k, Merlin/Arthur Steampunk AU

Bought and Sold by PeaceHeather T, 103k, Gen Canon Era AU, Canon Divergence; Slavery

Shadow of the Stone by MerlinLikeTheBird T, 102k (WIP), Merlin/Arthur Canon Era AU; Role Reversal

You're My One & Only by TrebleMaker07 T, 9.5k, Merlin/Arthur Soulmate AU, Canon Era without Magic

If I Had My Druthers by TheManTheMythTheLazy T, 5.6k, Merlin/Arthur Reincarnation, Modern Era

you should've said by ravenwilds E, 18k, Merlin/Arthur Modern with Magic; Magical Realism

Knights of the Faceoff Circle by kirani T, 8k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU; Hockey

The Once and Future Kings by tjmcharg M, 352k WIP, Merlin/Arthur Canon Divergence

By The Stars by ashamedbliss E, 21k, Merlin/Arthur Space/Sci-Fi AU

The Kingcraft of Arthur Pendragon by SauraUnderscore E, 79k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Era, Canon Divergence

A masterlist of all round-ups can be found here.

If you want to make sure you never miss a FF rec, or would like to participate and share your own favourites; join us on the Discord TheMerlinLibrary! Happy reading!

About the FF round-up lists:

Recs are listed in the order they were posted on the Discord; the order does not imply any sort of ranking.

The pairing given in this list is the main pairing of each respective fic – please read the tags for any possible minor or side-pairings, as well as any potential warnings or triggers.

Pairings and Eras are given as tagged in each respective fic. (?) signifies that the tags were unclear and I do not know enough about the fic to fill the gaps.

Round-ups are compiled on the weekend of the week after the respective theme of the post (when the new theme has already been anounced), to avoid omitting potentially belated FF recs.

The weekly round-up is not a guarantee! I'm running this alone, so it can only be posted for weeks when I have enough time on my hands to compile a list. If you'd like to help out, feel free to contact me on Tumblr ( @zaharya ) or Discord.

[kikiskeysgame]

Kiki's Keys to the Chicago Blackhawks-Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks Games (12\31\2022 and 01\01\2023)

Good morning, Blackhawks fans! This weekend, the Blackhawks will be playing in back to back games; tonight on New Year's Eve, they will play against the Columbus Blue Jackets and on New Year's Day, they will play against the San Jose Sharks. This set of keys will cover both back to back games. Here are my keys for the games: 1.) Continue to have a solid start to your game like you did in your last game against the St. Louis Blues, but make sure that you stay consistent at all times and try not to fall off track. 2.) Try to score more than one goal during the game. One goal is fine, but you need to be able to keep your offense productive instead of letting it get invisible. 3.) Continue to capitalize on your power play chances because you never know which one of them could make a big impact in the game. 4.) Don't let yourselves get out of hand with taking one too many unnecessary penalties. 5.) Continue to win your faceoffs. 6.) Try to start and end your back-to-back games on a good note.

[darkmaga-returns]

US braces for possible election day violence. How to Rig Your Rigged Elections. Zelenskyy issues stark warning. IDF heightens state of alert. Kamala May Bring Back Pandemic Controls

Lioness of Judah Ministry

Nov 05, 2024

US braces for possible election day violence as Harris, Trump deliver final pitches

US National Guard has or will be activated across 19 states to help maintain peace; Harris supporters optimistic but nervous, Trump fans say his win is inevitable

Fear, suspicion, hope and bluster: All were on display Monday night as the US election campaign reached a crescendo, with Republican Donald Trump making a final pitch to supporters in Michigan and Democratic rival Kamala Harris looking to end on a high note in Pennsylvania. At Trump’s final rally in Grand Rapids, the crowd of thousands was boisterous, convinced that his victory was inevitable, with some saying any other result would mean the vote had been rigged. In Philadelphia, where Harris was preparing to host a star-studded rally featuring Lady Gaga and others, supporters said they were cautiously optimistic, and fearful of another Trump term.

Joe Rogan endorses Trump

The podcaster has agreed with the “great and powerful” Elon Musk that the 2024 election will decide the country’s future

Podcaster Joe Rogan has endorsed former President Donald Trump following an interview with one of his most vocal supporters, billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, on the eve of Trump's faceoff against Vice President Kamala Harris. Rogan promoted his interview with the “great and powerful” Musk in a post on X, insisting that if it weren’t for the self-described free speech absolutist, “we'd be f**ked.” “Musk makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you'll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way. For the record, yes, that’s an endorsement of Trump,” Rogan told his 13.3 million followers on Monday evening.

Democrat Governor Labels Republican Voters ‘Anti-American.’

Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) says she believes voters who support Republican candidates oppose American values. The New York Democrat made the claim during an interview over the weekend on MSNBC‘s PoliticsNation, hosted by Al Sharpton.

Seizing on a joke a comedian made about Puerto Rico during President Donald J. Trump‘s recent rally at Madison Square Garden, Hochul explained that she’s used the incident to target vulnerable Republican lawmakers in her state. “You do not think in this great country that we should have leaders who either say this themselves or will tolerate it at one of their rallies,” the New York Governor said. “I think this rally backfired on him,” she added.

Kamala Harris: Mandatory gun confiscation is a great idea — if Congress doesn’t act within the first hundred days of my administration, i will take executive action

How to…Rig Your Rigged Elections

Five tips for the ambitious autocrat just starting out.

Are you an aspiring oligarch, dictator or autocrat? Do you want to wield power whilst maintaining a façade of popular support and democratic mandate? Do you want to make your proles believe they have a choice? Well then, welcome to the first of our “How to…” series. A selection of articles dedicated to teaching aspiring authoritarians how to hide tyranny behind a reassuring mask of  freedom. Here we’ll go into the finer points of how it’s possible to have “elections” that mean almost nothing.