#NICO SCORED WITHIN LIKE 4 MINUTES

[sweetestcaptainhughes]

I JUST SCREAMED NICO IS BACK. MY CAPTAIN IS BACK!

[charles-leclerc-official]

2024 Jeddah Grand Prix Race Analysis

Jeddah was certainly an exciting second race in the 2024 season, with Ollie Bearman's F1 debut in Ferrari, to Lance's DNF, to the absolute chaos in the midfield there was a lot going on.

I am of course going to start by talking about Ferrari Charles and Ollie's race.

Ollie

Ollie Bearman (18) the F2 driver was called last minute to fill in at Ferrari for Carlos Sainz, who had to have surgery to treat appendicitis. Ollie got to participate in FP3 before he then went into qualifying and came in P11.

Ollie managed to come in P7 during the race bringing home his first points in Formula 1, and some important constuctor's points for Ferrari.

Given how little prep time he had, Ollie adapted to the car very quickly. Even comparing his race to qualifying it's clear he was getting more at home in the car with each lap. He struggled the most on the low speed corners in those high braking zones(also where there are lots of lateral Gs which he did mention were tough) but he was not behind at all on straight line speed.

Ollie ran a remarkably clean race. He overtook 4 cars in total and only struggled a little with the car settings when overtaking Kevin Magnussen.

It cannot be overstated what an amazing first F1 performance he put on. Ollie did the most overtakes of the race in a car he'd only just driven the day before on the highest speed track in F1.

Overall this was an amazing debut and Ollie 100% deserved driver of the day!

Charles

Charles race was pretty clean. He started in P2 but lost the position pretty early to Perez and came in P3. Apparently there was an issue with the car and the way the tyres felt and I do think this impacted his ability to really push, especially at the beginning of the race.

He held on to P3 pretty easily.

The standout part of his race was of course setting the fastest lap on lap 50 on old tyres. That is actually kind of insane and I don't know why more people aren't talking about it. After his tyre wear looked so good, like too good.

Charles did say that he was having trouble warming up the tyres. This was seen in quali, but the impact was felt during the race. He had to try to defend and overtake while still warming up his tyres and that is probably what cost him that place to Checo. After he got the tyres warmed up the gap to Checo was pretty stable.

Ferrari

Ferrari is easily P2 in constructors. It was very helpful that Ollie brought home points to continue the lead on Mclaren and Mercedes.

We learned a few things from this race:

The SF-24 has made massive improvements on tyre degen on the SF-23.

However the car is having issues warming up the tyres which for sure impacted Charles' race. There are multiple ways to solve this issue, upgrades and adjustments should be able to take care of it(at the very least mitigate the issue) Another thing to note is that this race was at night and temps were cooler so that likely amplified what was already a problem. I wouldn't expect it to be as bad in Australia even if nothing is altered on the car.

The SF-24 still needs to do some catching up to Red Bull

The SF-24 is certainly more reliable, because Ollie was able to get comfortable pretty quickly and that is in part thanks to the reliability of the car itself(as well as his skill)

Kevin

So thoughts on Kevin's race and the Haas strategy in general.

Early in the race Kevin took a 10 second penalty for track limits. That basically ended his race. So Haas apparently decided to use him to hold off the rest of the mid-field so that his teammate Nico could score a point. In doing so Kevin got an additional 10 second penalty for overtaking off track.

Now people have criticized this strategy, as Kevin not giving the place back messed up a lot of driver's races (Yuki, Logan, Alex, Este, Zhou). But it was all within the rules, and if it's within the rules then I can't begrudge a team for playing to their advantage. It's up to the stewards to issue additional instructions, or for the FIA to change the rules to prevent such a strategy in the future.

The other notable thing was that Kevin still finished P12 which is higher than you'd expect given he racked up 20 seconds of penalties however he finished his race in just under the lap time, so he got a time and the cars behind him were stuck with +1 lap, which further negated that penalty for himself.

Jump Starts: Lando and Sergio

There were two jumped starts this race. One was spotted as it happened (Lando) and one was discovered after the race(Sergio)

Now neither driver received a penalty, and I think this was the right choice for Lando but not for Sergio.

Important things to keep in mind: jumping the start is penalized because it can create early forward momentum that can give an advantage in those first few seconds. Sensors under the track are used to determine if a car jumped the start.

Lando started moving before the lights, it was very obvious, but then he came to a full stop before starting again. He wasn't given the penalty because the movement did not register on the sensors and the stewards make the decision based on if the sensors picked up anything.

Now I do actually agree that this didn't really need to be penalized for 2 reasons.

Lando came to a complete stop after the initial movement and thus probably hurt his start more than anything

It didn't impact any race results. Lando didn't seemingly gain anything and there aren't any results that you could argue might have been different(if he had gained some advantage then it 100% should have been a penalty, but from what we saw he really didn't)

I think had his actions impacted someone's results etc then other teams would have pushed harder for a penalty, but it just wasn't worth it because this didn't really do anything.

However I do believe that Sergio's jumped start should have been penalized.

He didn't brake, thus has slight forward momentum going into the lights out

It potentially did impact the first turn pressure he was able to put on Charles right away

Mostly the fact he did for sure get some small amount of forward momentum for me makes it a pretty clear penalty.

Both of these didn't register on the sensors which is also weird because they were very clearly visible.

Other Drivers and moments of note:

Zhou: his race was compromised by both Kevin and the fact he had a 46 second pit stop

Lance: hit the wall, locked up and ended up in the barrier on lap 7, ending his race

Pierre: had a mechanical failure on lap 1 and had to retire the car

Max: won again

Oscar and Lewis: had one of the most tight battles of the race. Lewis defended for so many laps while Oscar was within DRS so often. Oscar did end up ahead and that lead on Hamilton was hard fought. Lewis' performance as well was impressive given the struggles of the current W15.

Esteban/Alpine: Esteban managed to come in P13 which is Alpine's best result so far this year.

Nico: Came in P10 scoring Haas' first points, placing them 6th currently in the constructor's

George: George battled the pace issues the W15 seems to be having. He is quick in the car, but the race pace seems to be suffering as well as the top speed. This was a bad track for the W15 overall looking at both his and Lewis' results.

This race was memorable for Ollie's F1 debut, and the youngest Ferrari driver lineup in history. As well as plenty of action in the midfield.

See you next time with Australia race analysis!

[randomrichards]

BEST MOVIE MOMENTS OF 2020

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Abe Makes Dinner from ABE

Teen chef protégé Abe (Stranger Thing’s Noah Schnapp) hopes that his dinner blending Israeli and Palestinian dishes will mend a bridge between his Israeli and Palestinian families (as well as his atheist father). But he gets a sad dose of reality when he learns the hard way that a wedge between families can’t always be solved with a meal.

“Wait for It” from HAMILTON

On June 16, 2016, Leslie Odom Jr. surprised many by beating Hamilton star/creator Lin-Manuel Miranda for the Best Actor award at the Tony Awards. And now they understood why thanks to Disney+ presenting the musical. And it all has to do with the song “Wait for It.”

In this soulful musical number, Odom Jr. allows us to understand Aaron Burr’s beliefs in letting fate leads his path. Whether it’s winning the heart of a married woman or watching all his loved ones parish, Burr is willing to wait for destiny to reveal why. It also showcases the contrast between Burr and Hamilton. This song changes Burr from History’s villain to a complicated anti-hero.

10)          Deku and Bakugo go full Super Sayan in MY HERO ACADEMIA: HEROES RISING

My Hero Academia always delivers great action scenes and they truly shine in their latest round in the cinema.

In his final battle to protect young brother and sister Mahoro (Tomoyo Kurosawa in Japanese, Dani Chambers in English) and Katsuma (Yuka Terasaki in Japanese, Maxey Whitehead in English) from ruthless power-stealer Nine (Yoshio Inoue in Japanese, Johnny Yong Bosch in English), underdog hero-in-training Izuku “Deku” Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita in Japanese, Justin Briner in English) transfers his “One-For-All” power to hotheaded classmate Bakugo (Nobuhiko Okamoto in Japanese, Clifford Chapin in English). The result is an image of the in super powered form resembling Super Sayans.

When Deku reaches 100% power, the film suddenly turns white then stretches into abstract imagery.

Honestly, the main reason I put this on the list is because it’s pure awesome and I’m not afraid to admit it.

9)            A Survivor Model from COLLECTIVE

This documentary follows the reporters of Romanian Newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as their investigation into the Colective Club fire in Bucharest that killed 27 people and left 180 injured exposed vast health care fraud that caused survivors to die in the hospital and would bring down the government. Another key focus is a survivor who was so badly burned she lost most of her fingers. The camera focuses on her as she watches conferences about the fire.

In a standout moment, she models for photo shoots. In this moment, we see a beautiful woman who refuses to allow her disability to stop her, revealing her power.

8)            the Wuhan Flu Song from BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

Many best scenes of 2020 will focus on the bed scene with Tutar and Rudy Gulianni. But I prefer to focus on the scene where Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) performs the “Wuhan Flu Song” at a Anti-Masker Rally. Not only is it deliciously cringy and hilarious, but It perfectly captures all of Cohen’s strengths as a comedic performer.

As with Borat’s previous cringy yet catchy “Throw the Jew Down the Well, Cohen uses the Borat persona exposes the ugliest side of America. Watching the Qanon conspiracy theorists cheering on Borat (under the guise of Country Steve) singing about injecting Obama with the Coronavirus horrifies while splitting sides. This moment reveals the dangerous consequences of misinformation and conspiracy theorists on society. Plus, the song is shamelessly catchy as hell.

Add the fact that Cohen was nearly attacked during this scene shows how far he’s willing to go to make a point and get a laugh.

7)            The Dinner Scene from LET HIM GO

This scene is a perfect example of how you put subtext in a scene. On the surface, It’s just Weboy matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville) serving porkchops to her daughter in law Lorna’s(Kayli Carter) former parent in laws Margaret (Diane Lane) and George Blackledge (Kevin Costner). But with the context of Margaret and George trying to deliver Lorna and their grandson from her abusive husband, you can feel the hostility in the atmosphere.

It’s a credit to the actors and their ability to hide their aggression under a mask of southern hospitality. It’s especially true for Manville, who brings to life a woman who is a master of hiding her cruelty under a pleasant smile. She may sound welcoming to them, but you can tell something’s off about her. No wonder she’s able to manipulate the police into siding with her. Hell, many audience will be surprised when they find out she’s British in real life.

Lane matches her every step of the way with the most nuanced jabs.

It won’t get as much appreciation due to it’s unassuming nature. But it’s a perfect scene to show how to bring nuance to a performance.

6)            The Restaurant Scene from THE INVISIBLE MAN

At first, it seemed Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) finally has the drop on her sociopathic control freak ex Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After days being tormented by him, Cecilia finally has proof of how he turns invisible. Now she goes to a public restaurant to convince her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer). But then a  levitating knife appears out of nowhere and slits Emily’s throat before flying into Cecilia’s hands.

Director Leigh Whannell and cinematographer Stefan Duscio do an excellent job using everyday envirnoments to create a sense of unease. Whenever the camera lingers on a kitchen, you search with anxious eyes for any sign of Adrian. In this case, they use the ambience of a crowded fancy restaurant to create a false sense of security. And yet, you can’t help but wonder if Adrian’s still watching them.

It’s in this scene where title character goes from a good villain to a great villain. Here we see what a cunning monster he truly is. The scene also showcases Moss’s terrific performance as her desperate eyes showcase the complete helplessness she feels in this scenario.

5)            Edna sheds her skin in RELIC

Rarely do the words “horror” and “heartbreaking” go together, but that describes the ending to this underrated gem.

Kay (Emily Mortimer) returns to her family home to care for her mother Edna (Robyn Nevin), who seems to be suffering from dementia. Now she and her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) find themselves trapped in the crawlspace while fleeing a warped Edna, who has been warped by a supernatural force. With contorted joints and decaying flesh, she has become monstrous. At first it seems they have defeated Edna and are heading out the door.

Then Kay looks back to see her mother lying on the ground, struggling to breath. This brings the film into a unexpected turn as Kay carries the creature that used to be her mother to bed. When Kay peels the skin off Edna’s body to reveal a charcoal skinned, dying creature, the film goes from creepy to heartbreaing. Anyone who ever lost a loved one to dementia will recognize to devastating feeling of watching them fade away right in front of your eyes.

4)             The one-take action scene in EXTRACTION

Well, we can’t have a best movie moments of 2020 list without mentioning the 10 minute action sequence from Extraction.

As black market mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) shields the kidnapped son of a drug lord from other mercenaries, his race across a Bangladesh village delivers all you want from an action movie. Fast paced car chase? Check. Semi-automatic gun battles? Check. Hand to hand combat? Check. Parkour across rooftops? You bet. Sometimes you’ll even get people get hit by cars during hand to hand combat. All of this happens while cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel makes it look like one take.

Sure, sophisticated viewers will recognize there the cuts are hidden. But when director Sam Hargrave is willing to ride on the hood of a car as it races across dirt roads for the sake of a shot, you can’t help but be impressed

3)            Opening Bike Ride from THE CLIMB

The film begins with what sees like a regular bike ride. American Mike (Director and Co-Writer Michael Angelo Covino) and Kyle (Co-Writer Kyle Marvin) are racing across the road of a French mountain before Kyle’s wedding. But then Mike reveals he’s slept with Kyle’s fiancé, resulting in the furious Kyle to chase Mike. Unfortunately, they’re both too exhausted to commit to a long chase.

The whole opening sequence could be its own short film. Covino and cinematographer Zach Kuperstein) shoot it all in one unbroken take, allowing the awkward exchange to flow more naturally. It leads to a hilarious moment when Kyle tries to chase Mike, but neither have the energy to keep going. Plus, it summarizes the reoccuring cycle of the film with Mike becoming increasingly self-destructive and a terrible friend and Kyle being nice until pushed too far.

2)            The Ending from UNCUT GEMS

After spending two hours in a state of panic, it looks like the audience will finally breath a sigh of relief. After locking his pissed off brother in law Arlo (Eric Bogosian) and his goons Phil (Keith William Richards) and Nico (Tommy Kominik) in the Jewelry store with him, smooth talking jeweler and gambling addict Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) makes the biggest win of his life via pinpoint accurate predictions of a basketball game. Now he has millions of dollars; way more than enough to pay off his debt. Everything’s coming up Howard. That is until the furious Phil puts a bullet in Howard’s head and proceeds to rob his store.

With all his reckless behaviour (including putting his girlfriend at risk) and overconfidence, you knew at somehow Howard was going to be punished. But when the flilm cuts to scenes of Howard’s family celebrating the game and his girlfriend leaves with the money, you can’t help but know how bad they’re going to feel when they find Howard dead.

Then the camera zooms into Howard’s bullet wound to reveal the same colourful kaliedescope imagery as shown within the title uncut gems. With Daniel Lopatin’s enchanting new wave score playing, this moment gives the audience a moment to finally relax before closing with Gigi D’Agostino’s L’amour Toujours.

In spite of (or because of) his flaws; Howard is himself an uncut gem.

1)            The little things inspire Joe from SOUL

Everyone recognizes “The Pixar Moment”; that scene that elevates a Pixar film from great to extraordinary. No one can truly define it, but it’s the one scene from the film everyone talks about. It’s the ten-minute prologue from Up. It’s Anton Ego’s reaction after trying Remy’s dish in Ratatouille. Even a lesser Pixar film can have this moment; a perfect example is when Lighting McQueen allows Ramirez to race in his place in Cars 3. Now we can add another film to the list thanks to Pixar’s latest masterpiece Soul.

After a day of escaping the afterlife and being trapped in the body of a therapy cat, Joe Gardner’s (Jamie Foxx) has finally achieved his dream of being in a Jazz band. And he feels…nothing. So, he heads back to his piano to ponder his direction in life. Then he finds the items 22 (Tina Fey) collected while in his body. What results is a moment fans will be coming back to in their moment of need.

As Joe rests 22’s items in front of his piano and starts playing, he comes to realize how a pizza crust and a seed truly meant to her. In the process, he comes realize the moments that seemed meaningless at first had some magic in them. The joy of playing for his father. The feel of the ocean waves flowing on his feet. The taste of a café’s pie.

In a time when many people can’t do any major activities, this moment serves as a reminder of to appreciate the little things in life. I imagine many audiences will return to this scene in their lowest moments.

[graequeen]

La Mia Ragazza Rockey Chapter 13

    ‘Questa donna mi fa impazzire!’ I said to myself as I held onto my last pack of cigarettes. I had three packs at the beginning of the week. It is now Tuesday, and I have two cigarettes left! Che diavoto devo fare con due sigarette?!

    And then there was fucking Antonio and Nico; they stopped buying me cigarettes. They won’t even let me bum a fucking smoke! “Tutti mi stanno facendo impazzire!” By 10am, both cigarettes were finished.

    I was already in a bad mood because of the constant “family” calls I’ve dealt with earlier this morning. Then Celia kept bothering me about decorating the house for the holidays. L’estate è appena iniziata! 

    My four-story office building was designed so that each floor dealt with different aspects of my business. For example, the first floor dealt with packing and distribution of some of our products and accessories. The warehouse was attached to the first floor, so that it was easily accessible. The second floor was where our software techs and engineers worked. The third floor dealt with customer service. The fourth floor was where the conference rooms, and offices of the Board members reside. I even have an office built for one of my assistance who deals with my real estate properties. 

    The second my secretary saw my face, she hid behind a stack of paperwork and a filing cabinet. But I didn’t have time to deal with her and her stupidity. I just walked past her, and went straight into my office. Nico, Antonio, and Celia walked in right behind me. 

    “Tracy!” I yelled. My jumpy secretary stuck her head inside. “Give me my schedule, and a cup of coffee.” She quickly nodded and left to grab the itinerary.

    “Dios mio Raffaele!” Antonio exclaimed. “Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of a lonely bed.” I threw a pen directly at his forehead, leaving a dark red mark.

    “Stai zitto idiota!” I yelled. My secretary walked in at that moment, and I may or may not have scared her. She dropped everything and ran back outside. I had to mentally slap myself, ‘This was going to be a long day.’

    By noon, I was once again disturbed by my cell phone going off. Even without checking the caller ID, I knew who was calling.

    “What do you want Ragazza?!” I asked in annoyance.

    “Rude! Can’t you even say hi!?” she responded in return.

    “Look Ragazza, I don’t have time for your shit. What do you want?” I asked.

    “Did you eat?” she asked randomly.

    The question threw me off. “I’m not hungry.”

    “Obviously you’re cranky cause you haven’t eaten yet. Nicoló texted me and said you were having a bad day, and it may or may not be because of me.” she said stifling a laugh.

    Without a moment's hesitation, I went off. “Ragazza, you left me with only two cigarettes! I SMOKED BOTH BEFORE I GOT HERE! And Antonio and Nico won’t get me anymore! I don’t have time to go out and buy more!” I exclaimed. I had gotten so fed up with her, that I nearly punched my desk.

    There was a moment of silence; I thought she had hung up on me due to my yelling. Just as I was about to hang up, she asked, “So are you going to tell me what you want to eat, or are you going to eat what I get you?”

    Within 45 minutes, I had the Ragazza in my office with some sandwiches and other snacks. She quickly prepped a small area on my desk, and laid out a chicken sub, a bottle of water, and chips. I sat on my chair, half expecting for her to throw something at me. But nothing happened. She grabbed her food, and her bag, and started to head out.

    “Where are you going?” I asked. The question came out before I had a chance to think it over. ‘What am I doing?’

    She turned around, equally as surprised as I was. “I have Arthur waiting for me outside.”

    I took out my phone, and quickly called Arthur. I don’t know what possessed me. “Arthur, come back in an hour to pick up the Ragazza.” With that, the conversation ended. She had a look of worry and confusion.

    She walked up to me and asked, “Are you planning to kill me?”

    “If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve. And no one would find your body.” I said simply, quickly pushing violent memories out of my mind.

    “Please! I’d fuck you up before you get a chance to touch me.” she quickly said. 

    ‘Did she just…?’ I asked myself. She didn’t even flinch when I spoke; she just made herself comfortable in the chair across my desk. She didn’t ask me to explain what I had said; she instead asked me about my work. And then somewhere along the line, the conversation turned into a basketball game (with a paper ball and waste basket).

    The current score was 4 to 5 (I was in the lead). She jumped off the side of my desk, and landed on my back. I grabbed the waste basket and held it against my chest.

    “CHEATER!” she screamed.

    “My office, my rules!” I yelled back. At that moment, the office door opened, revealing Nico, Celia, Antonio, and Tracy. Everyone remained frozen in place, and for a few minutes, not a sound was made. The Ragazza took this opportunity to jump off my back, take the waste basket from my chest, and score.

    “That doesn’t count!” I yelled.

    “Kiss my ass! That was a 2-pointer!” The Ragazza exclaimed. 

    ‘Questa donna mi fa impazzire’ With that, I began chasing after her, staying within the confines of my office. 

“What is going on here?” Antonio asked in an annoying ass voice.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Celia asked, completely irritated at the sight of the Ragazza.

Nico only smiled at the sight of the Ragazza and I. “I don’t know what is going on here. But...he looks happier for sure.” 

[hellyeahheroes]

Building Amadeus Cho in D&D 5e

I really need to distract myself from how bad elections in my country went, so here is another build. I noticed about every single one I’ve made - Cassandra Cain, Nico Minoru, Virgil Hawkins, Laura Kinney, Emiko Queen - are all “let’s dump strength” builds. So why not do something about it and make someone who is all about Strength? Well, maybe not “all”, let’s make him smart as well. You can probably guess who comes to mind

Let’s start with our goals for this build. First of all, we need to be both strong AND smart, finding a way to show both of them in combat. Second, we need to express somehow Amadeus’ perk for invention and gadgets that aid him. And finally, we need to get knowledge skills to reflect well our status as the 7th Smartest Man on Earth.

As with Tulok the Barbarian, who inspired these pots, I will be using standard points array for Ability Scores - 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8. If you want to roll or use different point buy or your DM insists on that, treat these as a guideline

Strength: 14, you were once The Strongest One There Is after all

Dexterity: 12, You are somewhat agile, maybe more than an average Hulk

Constitution: 13, very important for both taking hits and not getting distracted when you do SCIENCE!

Intelligence: 15, you’re 7th Smartest Man on Earth after all

Wisdom: 8, dump it, Amadeus was always known for being really freaking reckless after all.

Charisma: 10, Amadeus has shown he has as much of a chance to woo a girl as to annoy his teammates, you may as well leave this one entirely to the dice

Now for Race, which in D&D terms mean species. Amadeus is currently a superhumanly strong, green-skinned individual with an ability to increase his strength by getting enraged. And you know very well what that means for people who make character builds in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons

Seriously tho, Amadeus is a human who got transformed into this green form, but a human none the less. Variant Humans get +1 to two Ability Scores, even out Intelligence and Constitution. For your free skill pick up Religion, first of our Knowledge Skills - you didn’t hang out with Hercules without having that mythological knowledge run off on to you after all. Pick whatever is relevant to the campaign for the bonus language.

For the feat pick War Caster - it gives you an advantage on the Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell whenever you take damage, lets you perform somatic components even with a weapon or a shield in both hands and you can cast a spell instead of attacking whenever a creature provokes an opportunity attack from you, as long at the spell has a casting time of 1 action.

For Background we will go with Sage, giving us proficiency in History and Nature, two more Knowledge Skills and you also learn two languages of your choice, again, pick whatever’s relevant. You also get the Researcher feature, allowing you to, if you do not know something, at least know where to easily obtain that information.

Now for the Class, let us get us some Brains. And as with Static, we will do a little trick and treat magic as science. Maybe your magic really is your technological inventions? Or maybe you just used your brilliant mind to study it like science? It makes sense really - a scientific mind in a world where magic is a tangible force and all sci-fi elements are nonexistent would study magic with a scientific approach. If only there was a class known for this. 1st Level Wizard gains proficiency with our last knowledge skill, Arcana, and one more - pick Insight, Investigation or Medicine. You get saving throws with Wisdom and Intelligence and proficiency with  Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs and light crossbows

Wizard learns Spellcasting. You gain a spellbook containing six 1st-level Wizard spells and each long rest you can prepare a limited number of them that you can cast and you cannot prepare spells of a higher level than your maximum level known. You also get cantrips that you can cast as many times a day as you want but you only know a few of them. Finally, you can spend 2 hours and 50 gp to copy any spell you have found into your spellbook as long as you can cast spells of this level, adding them to a number of spells you can choose from. If your spell requires a spell attack, you make it with modifier equal your Proficiency Bonus + Your Intelligence Modifier and if it requires Saving Throw, you take that number and add 8 to get your Save Difficulty. You also gain Arcane Recovery, which lets you recover some of your spell slots on short rest, but they cannot be of higher combined level than half of your wizard level rounded up.

For Cantrips you get to know 3 and here are some good choices:

Prestidigitation is a multi-use tool that allows you to make all kinds of minor magical effects that last up to 1 hour 

Either Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade - each is a spell that lets you make an attack and causes some effect if you hit, either making green fire leap from it to the second target to give it damage equal to your Intelligence Modifier, or deal the target additional 1d8 thunder damage if it willingly moves before end of your next turn. Either of those scales up with your total character level

Shocking Grasp lets you make a melee attack as a part of casting a spell as well, with an advantage if the target is wearing armor, and if you hit they take 1d8 lightning damage (again, scaling with your total level) cannot take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Now for the 1st Level Spells, we get to know six of them even if we can only cast two per long rest.

Fog Cloud lets you create a 20-foot radius sphere centered around you that makes an entire area in it heavily obscured.

Jump lets you triple your jump distance for 1 minute, getting that trademark Hulk jumpIdentify lets you learn all magical properties related to a touched item or what spells are affecting the touched creature

Grease turns an area within 10-foot square from a chosen point into difficult terrain for 1 minute and every creature standing on it or entering it must succeed on a Dexterity Saving Throw or fall prone.

Feather Fall has a casting time of a reaction and lasts for one minute and each from up to five falling creatures within 60-feet range, you included, slows down on falling to 60 feet and if it lands on the ground before the spell ends, it takes no damage

Finally, Find Familiar lets you summon a familiar. There is no dog or wolf on the list but I’m sure a GM can be persuaded into allowing you to have a coyote pup. Familiar acts independent from you but obeys your commands, if it dies you can bring it back by recasting the spell, you can communicate with it telepathically if it is within 100 feet from you and for action see through its eyes and if you cast a touch spell your familiar can deliver it to the target. This has a ton of uses and if done well it will make your puppy a beloved pet of the party.

We will now jump to Barbarian. You get proficiency light and medium armor, simple and martial weapons and shields. As you might have noticed, we do not get tavern brawler to deal better damage on unarmed strike. This is because I remembered that Amadeus was once wielding mace previously belonging to Hercules. I see no reason why not to return to it to give Amadeus more of his classic flavor. Also, it will mesh better with some features we will get than punching with your fist. You can also pick up that huge two-handed hammer he was using as Brawnhammer.

1st Level Barbarians get an ability to Rage, allowing you to enter a state in which you gain an advantage on Strength checks and saving throws, +2 to damage dealt by strength attacks and resistance to bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing Damage. It lasts for 1 minute, until you’re knocked out or if you ended your turn without attacking any enemy for your turn. You can do it twice between long rests. Sadly, you cannot cast spells or concentrate on those already cast in Rage. This will be a more last line of defense than a common go-to strategy.

You also get Unarmored Defense, allowing you to add your Constitution Modifier to your Armor Class, which helps since Cho isn’t known for wearing armor.

2nd Level Barbarian gets Danger Sense, if you are not blinded, deafened or incapacitated, you have an advantage on Dexterity saving throws against any effect you can see, such as traps or spells. You also gain Reckless Attack, allowing you to gain an advantage on your attack rolls made this turn at the cost of giving your enemies advantage on attack rolls against you until your next turn.

2nd Level Wizard gets a new spell slot to use. You also get to choose an Arcane Tradition. School of Lore Mastery gives us two features. Lore Mastery itself allows you to substitute your Intelligence modifier for Dexterity modifier when you roll for Initiative and doubles your proficiency modifier in all Knowledge Skills you are proficient with. Which are ALL OF THEM! You’re welcome. Spel Secrets meanwhile allows you to, whenever you cast a spell that deals  acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage to just declare you change it to another type. Meaning you no longer care for resistance or immunity to damage. ON TOP OF THAT, if a spell requires someone to make a saving throw, it also lets you change whichever Ability they have to roll for. So if you’re fighting a group of Goblins, you don’t make them roll Dexterity but Strength o that Grease.

ALTERNATIVE: School of War Magic allows you to add your Intelligence Modifier to your Initiative rolls with Tactical Wit and with Arcane Deflection you  can spend your reaction to give yourself +2 to Armor Class were you be hit by an attack roll or +4 to a saving throw you failed, but you cannot cast spells other than cantrips until end of your next turn.

Okay, we have brains, we have brawl, but Amadeus is both - not just a genius or a Hulk, he is Brawn and he combines these two sides of him. We will let him do that...in a moment

First Level Fighter gets to choose a fighting style. Depending on what you picked up as your weapon choose either Dueling (+2 to damage rolls if you’re using only one weapon in one hand) or Great Weapon Fighting (when you use two-handed or versatile weapon wielded in two hands you can reroll all 1 or 2 on damage rolls but must use the new roll even if it is as bad or worse). You also gain Second Wind, letting you once per short or long rest use a bonus action to regain health points equal 1d10 + your fighter level. This will get us some of that healing factor.

EDIT: if you really want Brawn who fights with his fists then pick a new Fighting Style from Unearthed Arcana on Alternate Class Features - Unarmed Fighting. It changes the damage dealt by your unarmed attacks from flat 2 to 1d6+your STRE modifier, 1d8 if you attack with both hands and grants you an extra 1d4 damage dealt whenever you successfully start a grapple with a creature and whenever you hit a creature you’re already grappling.

Second Level Fighter gains Action Surge - once per short or long rest you can gain an additional action for your round. This means an extra attack or lets you cast a spell and attack in one turn.

Third Level Fighter gains a Martial Archetype. And this is what we are here for. Eldritch Knight. First, it lets you learn a ritual that creates a bond between yourself and a weapon and you can have two such weapons bonded to you at once. As long as you hold one you cannot be disarmed unless you’re incapacitated and if you are to part from it you can summon it as a bonus action, making it teleport in your hand as long as you’re on the same plane of existence. Teleporting gear he needs into his hands does sound like a very Amadeus thing, gotta say.

But now to the real meat of Eldritch Knight. You get to learn spells as a fighter. As opposed to Wizard spells you know a limited number of them and you spend spell slots to cast them without preparations. Sadly you cannot cast Wizard Spells you know from Eldritch Knight spell slots or vice versa. However, two levels you took will count to determine your number of spell slots. Consult this table using the following guidelines - every 4 levels of Eldritch Knight you take count as 1 level on the table and every level of wizard counts as 1. If the table would give you access to spell slots of a higher level that you should know by normal class progression, you can only use them to cast spell slots of a level you know.

Also, since your casting ability is the same for both classes, your spell attack and save difficulty modifiers are the same.

You learn two Cantrips from a wizard spell list and they work pretty much as the wizard ones.

Thunderclap is a very Hulk thing - make a burst of sound forcing every creature within 5 feet to make Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 (since we are above 5th level) thunder damage. As you can guess, it scales with your total character level.

Lighting Lure forces a target to make Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 10 feet of you and take 2d8 lightning damage if it finds itself within 5 feet of you. And yes, it does too scale with your total level.

You get to know 3 1-st level spells from Wizard Spell list but they must be abjuration or evocation. As you will learn 4th one on the next level I will list all 4

Thunderwave forces every creature within a 15-foot cube from you to make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 Thunder Damage and be pushed 10 feet away from you. On a save it remains in position and takes only half of the damage.

Protection from Evil and Good lets you choose one type of creature - aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiend and undead - it is a concentration spell lasting up to 10 minutes and gives that type of creatures disadvantage on attack rolls against you and you cannot be charmed, frightened or possessed by them. This is for next time you run into the Enchantress

Absorb Elements lets you chose damage type you are about to take from acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder, giving you resistance to that damage. The first time you hit on your next round you deal additional 1d6 damage of that type to the target, +1d6 per spell slot level if you cast it from a higher level

Chromatic Orb lets you make spell attack against the target, dealing it 3d8 (+1d8 for each higher level of spell slot used) of damage of your choice - poison, acid, fire, cold, lighting or thunder.

4th Level Fighter gains an Ability Score improvement, for now we will focus on increasing our Intelligence. 5th Level gives us Extra Attack, letting us make two attacks as a part of the same attack action. 6th Level is another Ability Score Improvement, Round up the Intelligence

7th Level Eldritch Knight gets to learn a new Spell and gains access to 2nd level spell slots. Snilloc’s Snowball Storm makes fury of snowballs explode in a 5-ffot sphere from the chosen target, dealing every creature in range 3d6 cold damage and a half on successful Dexterity saving throw. if you would rather go with the Hulk-lite theme, pick up Shatter instead - works similarly except dealing thunder damage, asking for Constitution save and dealing 3d8 damage instead of 3d6 and imposing disadvantage on the saving throw to creatures made out of inorganic materials.

You also gain a feature - War Magic. Whenever you cast a Cantrip as an action you can now make a single weapon attack as a bonus action.

8th Level Fighter gains another Ability Score Improvement, boost up your Strength. You can learn a new spell and this time it can be one out of any school. Hold Person lets you force a Wisdom saving throw on a target and if they fail then, for your concentration, they become paralyzed until they succeed a next Wisdom save on their round, you break your concentration or 1 minute passes.

9th Level Fighter gains Indomitable, letting you once per long rest reroll one failed saving throw.

10th Level Eldritch Knight learns Eldritch Strike, meaning that now whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack, it has a disadvantage on the save against the first spell you cast until the end of your next turn. You also learn a new Cantrip and a new Spell and another one on 11th level

Ray of Frost makes you make a spell attack against a single target and if you hit you deal 3d8 (since it scales with a level) cold damage and reduce its speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

Scorching Ray makes you pick up to 3 targets (+1 for each higher level from which you cast) to be hit with 2d6 Fire Damage.

Melf’s Acid Arrow lets you make a spell attack against a target. On a hit, it takes 4d4 acid damage now and 2d4 on the end on its next turn, on a miss it only takes 2d4 acid damage once.

11th Level Fighter also gains the third attack to be done as a part of the same attack action.

12th level Fighter gains an Ability Score improvement, this time increase your Constitution.

On 13th Level you get to use Indomitable twice between long rests, can learn one new spell and gain access to 3rd level spells. You get another one, this one from any school, on 14th level as well, alongside next Ability Score Improvement (which should go to Strength)

Counterspell allows you to interrupt an enemy costing spell. If it is casting a spell of a level equal or lower than that of spell slot you used, it fails immediately. if its level is higher, you counter it if you succeed an Intelligence Check with difficulty equal to 10 + spell level.

Haste is a concentration spell for up to 1 minute, it doubles your (or another target you used it for) speed, gains +2 to AC, advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws and on each of its turns gains one action it can use to make a single weapon attack, dash, disengage, hide or use object. Once it ends target must spend 1 turn doing nothing to regain its strength.

15th Level Eldritch Knight gets to use Arcane Charge, which lets you teleport up to 30 feet as a part of an action you gain by Arcane Surge. Our Capstone is 16th Level Fighter. Final Ability Score Improvement - round up Strength - and final spell to learn - Fireball lets you cause an explosion in a 20-foot radius from the target, dealing every creature in it 8d6 fire damage or half on successful save +1d6 for each higher level of spell slot you used to cast it from.

So here is how I would do Amadeus. School of Lore Mastery Wizard 2/Barbarian 2/Eldritch Knight Fighter 16. :et us see how valid this build is. For one, you are a good tank with multiple ways to reduce damage dealt to you and make up for not wearing armor - protection from good and evil, indomitable, absorb elements, rage (which works with some of these abilities), second wind, Unarmored Defense - and a lot of hit points. You also get a varied array of spells that deal different types of damage and many of them have various utilities attached to them, with added bonus you can fluff them as either gadgets or Hulk abilities, and your wizard levels let you cast them using 5th level slots (see the table again) which actually allows you to deal more damage with them than pure Eldritch Knight. You do not need to worry about having either too many or not spells of one damage type for any given situation with Lore Mastery either. Hell, you could refluff the same spells as different gadgets multiple times. You also have ways to get in more attacks and to make up for relatively poor Dexterity. If you run out of spells you can enter rage and go into full combat. Finally, you have all the knowledge skills to truly be 7th Smartest Man on Earth.

On the downsides, you are a jack of all trades but master of none, lacking real focus. Your array of spells is limited and even though you can learn more via wizard spellbook they’re only gonna be of 1st level. Spells you do know are only of 3rd level at best, meaning their usefulness will be limited. And Rage basically turns off your entire spellcasting and concentration spells, meaning you have to choose which one to use. We didn’t max out Constitution and Dexterity is low, meaning our AC is not as good as it should be. Finally, your Charisma and Wisdom Saves are low, meaning you should expect to be banished to another dimension or mind-controlled to turn against your party a lot.

However, you are a very balanced character who can be useful in many things and has an answer to all kinds of problems. You are brains and Brawl in one green package. Just remember you cannot do everything and you work much better as a part of a team. So don’t your teammates get sick of your ego.

ERRATA: Original build started with levels in Barbarian but it was pointed out to me that you need to take a casting class to take War Caster feat, I have made changes to reflect that.

UPDATE: Changed Wizard School to Lore Mastery, with War as an alternate option.

- Admin

[hahahafangirl]

To My Muse - Ch. 5

Ch.1 - Ch.2 - Ch.3 - Ch.4 To my AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078014/chapters/34958786

Summary: At this point, all Nico di Angelo wants to do is to finish the draft of his final book. Also at this point, all Will Solace wants to do is works through the summer to stay alive. Perhaps there are many things else that they also need, but they aren’t aware of them, yet. Okay, maybe they just need to do it step-by-step, and thus that first step is at The Flying Ship. ————————————————————

5. Seven Steps Toward Summer

It was Wednesday. Good ole ordinary Wednesday, who endearingly visits every week only to leave in the span of twenty-four hours; just as an old friend that seemed to be ageless in that her existence is unforgettable. Perhaps, it was because her visit is periodical and frequent, that the same sanguine signal followed her voyage: the next day was his "weekend". He loves his work schedule in that his holidays are two days before other most of others'; especially in that the aspect that everywhere he visits are usually void of the crowd - as everyone else is hard at work, he gets his meritorious break. Coffee shops are sprinkled with scarcely a crowd, the pastries at the bakery are more punctiliously made, the silent air of the library circulates more gently. Yet, best of all, he could use the excuse "But it's not the weekend!" to stay inside and "be productive", as he preferred to describe the seemingly dull and insipid activity of working on his school works.

All right, so perhaps he only loved Wednesday because technically it was equivalent to normal people's Friday, but what difference would it make? Why couldn't he still rightfully wax poetry about his favorite day of the week?

Still, to be fair, the last time he dares to portray his day as ordinary or habitual, an utterly momentous event happen: an unreservedly charming man stepped through The Flying Ship's door, eyes fixated at his face. Will Solace might or might not felt ardor blossomed within his ludicrously earnest heartbeat. The other guy - Will reminded himself not to get ahead of himself - might or might not reciprocate such ardent desire. Nonetheless, they befriended; the guy even recognized Will's favorite band! The idea seemed absurd in the past - like a fantasy that kept replaying in his head instead of jumping out and transform into reality. And now, it finally came true. Not just the "recognizing his favorite music" part - the entire ordeal seemed fantastically dreamlike.

Nonetheless, he loves the normalcy of life - the unremitting beat of motion and activity, the perpetual cycle of monochromatic daylight and kaleidoscopic bulbs enlightens the city, the perennial tidal masquerade of the waves - that were law-abiding and sober, yet its heart was sculpted by enchantment, the sleeves still the fabric of charm. Its tricks are just illusions cloaked under its velvety pretense mayhaps, yet what is life but conundrums and secrets? In the regularity of life, the magic is kept to the minimum and logic dominated, most of the time, though, with his mind deluded by its steady, conciliating rhythm, Will won't recognize any hidden variables installed in place. Just as this instance, was it logical or was it magical that Kayla and Austin called him, together, urgently, in the middle of his shift? Especially if he weighted in numerous, countless elements involved

"No, Kayla. As I emphasized, again and again," Will huffed, his eyes comically widen and his eyebrows raised in desperate exasperation - the emphasis on the word "emphasized" weighted like an annoyed grunt "We're not dating. We're friends."

"Good grief, William," Will could practically hear the noise of Austin's eyes rolling in its socket; the boy has made an irksome habit of calling him every possible name that could be shortened into "Will" - except for his actual name, of course, just for the sake of ticking off the older brother; "Sure, just a friend, you know, who came to the shop every single day since the day he practically eat you up by his eyes, that blushes and dumbfoundedly stare everytime you pull up your sunshine smile, and..." Nothing good would ever come out, every time Austin did such dramatic pause "... a friend sooooooo important that you couldn't help talking about him with Drew every single day."

Will could hear Kayla whistling from another end, but perhaps Will's choking noise was even louder - yet neither of those actually helped to amplify the situation, honestly, for the rosiness in Will's cheeks had already gone blood-red five minutes ago, since the first mention of Nico. His gauche "That's not how it is..." barely came out as a suffocated whisper.

"Oh, Will. Oh, Will," Kayla had snatched the phone from Austin's hand, it seemed, her voice theatrically deriding "Finally, don't you see, Austin," she turned to the "sport-announcer" voice now "Our most gracious, devoting, work-a-holic single-mom had found the love of his life now, in his workplace. A coffee shop, you say? What kind of romantic K-drama is this? How much shoujo manga material is loaded into this love-life?-"

"Sickeningly cliché is it, my dudess, yet so heartwarming," Austin added in his two cents in the background

"An overworked mother found her hope in love again after seeing a handsome man in black? Oh goodness, I understood why Drew was so hyped-"

"Now, pause for a second, would you-" Will pleaded

"You know what she said, Wilfred?" Austin's enthusiastic voice came on crystal clear, from either extreme shouting or regained control of the phone, "'Oh my gawd, haven't you children heard? Will was absolutely smitten, I'm telling you. That unromantic boy finally sounded like he is capable of scoring himself a boyfriend.'" It, apparently, didn't matter that Drew was one of his closest friends, seeing that Austin had no problem ridiculing her voice with his absurdly sweet mocking-tone. Kayla's laughing noise was stifled from Austin's end.

"Drew told y'all all of this?"

"Of course, she's... well, our most trusted secret agent out there." Kayla was back on the phone now, practicing her "government-official" voice.

"But, seriously, Wilston," As always, Austin's tone turned solemn, his maturity found its way to outshine his mischievous-loving facet, "Take your chance, dude, I couldn't care less about how slow it's gonna be. Be friend first, then close friend, then best friend, whatever. You finally quit over-worrying about us and get out of this town-"

"That was five years ago, Austin-"

"And you're still a worrywart." Kayla's joined in, her voice earnest, "And I know that you'll always be, Will. But, gods, just... stop. Don't tire yourself out because of us. We're not kids

anymore."

"I'm overdue for being an adult now, Will." Everytime Austin called Will by his actual alias, the conversation became genuinely heartfelt. That sentence was not new - in fact, lately, it seemed that their conversation would always head toward this direction.

"Plus, I'm going to university next fall, Will. There's absolutely no need for you to worry about us, both economically and, well... everything else-y." Kayla tried to assure him, the words started as solemnly yet became light-hearted, almost humorous, at the end "Just, take care of yourself. Medical school is a fucking mess, so at least try to enjoy your summer..."

"Summer, you say, hm?" Will absentmindedly muttered, his eyes pensively gaze over the street outside. A brooding sense of vagueness engulfed his thought; like a hazy, misty cloth, it suddenly overpowered his eyesight, turning the scenery outside the window distant and detached from his reality, his own universe. For an unknown reason, if there is actually any, the idea of "summer" seemed such a faraway reverie, as if the word deepened in itself a concealed, abstract meaning besides a name of a season. Not necessarily anything that could be associated with summer - the minuscule waves of the butterfly inside his gut was a notional feeling - it wasn't the beach, the heatwave, the ambrosial smell of fruits, nor was it the rush of vacation. That's to be said, there was a hint of liberty in such feeling (No, it was not related to the Fourth of July), not the freedom from the hellscape that is medical school, the freedom from the responsibility of an adult, nor freedom from any physical constraint. It was more of that his heart is free - unbound from any burden, from the invisible weight that he has no idea why, when, and how it got there.

Still, that was just a reverie - a daydream he could sacrifice time to live in, yet, nonetheless, it was anything but a minute of his soul wandering outside of this realm.

"Yeah, Will, and you should come back home sometimes-" Will realized that he must have spaced out for a pretty long while, as the conversation had spiraled out of his mind yet again. Before he could panic and try to follow up on the dialogue, the familiar chimes resonated, pushed through the air and rushed toward his eardrums, for the fourth time in his shift. Which was not a lot, but one had to consider that today was, again, still a weekday. Out of a corner of his eyes, a familiar strand of messy, charcoal hair casually bounded its way into the shop. "-expensive, but Minnie missed you a lot-"

"Listen, kids, I would love to keep talking and listening to y'all complaining about my lack of presence at home, and I'm honestly very sorry about that, but right now I'm still in my shift and-"

"Did Nico just come in? I swear I heard the bell rings!"

"It's definitely Nico, isn't it?" Kayla excitedly followed, then unceremoniously shouted, the phone still directly in his ears "HEY, NICO! HOW ARE YOU DOING WILL LOVES TALKING ABOUT YOU SO MU-

"Bye!" Will briskly shouted a curt goodbye to the phone, which was clutched tightly by two hands, the screen shined its light directly in front of his mouth - the immediate result of having Kayla's booming voice aimed toward his myringa. How he hoped the kid hasn't announced her presence aloud from the phone for the entire West Coast to aware. How he hoped Drew hasn't told them about his new friend. How he hoped he hasn't told anyone about said person.

And oh, how he hoped, dearly, desperately, perilously hoped - because this is one wish in which time-traveling is not involved - that whoever just stepped into to shop (he knew it was Nico, but-) has not paid enough attention nor their hearing was not so exemplary that every single word that bounced out of his phone was heard. Gods, he hasn't even put his phone on speaker.

Still, before he had time to reconsider about every decision he took in his twenty-three pathetic years of exchanging oxygen through the trillions of cells in his body, his obligation toward this job made him tilted his head up and look at the individual that has been so promptly ignored, despite the fact that they had been here for at least three minutes, and probably just hoped for a nice cup of coffee, and not his personal nor familial information. As he expected, Nico di Angelo, his new friend - f.r.i.e.n.d - stood awkwardly in front of the counter, his lean, tiny figure forced him to tilt slightly upward toward the barista. Before Will had time to dreamily gazing over the guy's drastically improved appearance - suddenly, it seemed as if he hadn't had enough time for frankly, anything, lately - a curbed giggle wriggled it way out, through the crevices of Nico's healthily defined, lean and elegant fingers. His eyes curved into crescents, the moonlit surface dotted with the same tenebrous iris, now illumined by the warmth his smile radiated. Was it atypical for Nico's facade to be inundated and enlightened by a sheer jubilant curve of his lips? Will caught himself asking, for how divine and beauteous the other man's joy seemed, the sight graciously, tacitly extricated his soul from pure allure. The melody of his laugh did nothing to lure Will's back from his cherry-blossomed reverie; the angelic harmony danced around his ear, fleetingly fondled his hearing just to dissolved into air. The stifled noise was nonetheless childish and gay, faithful to the depiction that was of a cherub giggling at an embarrassing sight; which is quite accurate, if the rising warmth in Will's cheeks and his ridiculous position whilst held the phone was anything to go by.

"Now, who is the lame one, staring at the other's smile?" Nico smiled yet again, his lips curved into more of a teasing smirk

At this point, Will didn't even bother looking for a retort. He had felt the blood rushing to his face, more clearly this time. The only course of action his brain registered was to jerkily straighten his frame, hastily slam his phone into the counter, hope that the screen won't crack, and hopelessly directed his stare elsewhere - anywhere but the exuberant sight that is Nico di Angelo.

"Wo... wh... what would you like to o... order... today?" He finally breathed out, the supposedly monotonous greeting got stuck on the roof of his mouth

"The usual, if you please." Nico smirked again, this time even more devilishly pretty "So, what was that whole... staring ordeal about?"

"Can't imagine, finally, it came, the day somebody casually said 'the usual, please.'" Will ironically wiggled his head side to side. He heard the second comment about the "staring ordeal", yet had elected to ignore it.

"Uh huh, and it's sure to stay for a while." The smirk still hadn't left Nico's lips "Was that your sibling?"

"Sure. Whatever. What kind of diabetes-inducing treats would you like today?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that wasn't something you ought to say as an employee here." Nico glanced toward the glass display "Mango cheesecake, please. At least I'm going to get the fruit required in my diet at once."

"Moral obligation as a medical student, if you don't mind." Will smiled. "That would be $13.67."

Nico handed him the cash, his olive-skin warm and slightly sweaty, "Sure, but right now you're still a barista. Gotta enjoy your summer without such... obligation."

"Who knows, it already invaded my bloodstream." Will handed him back the coins. Nico left for his usual table, bounced jejunely on the ball of his feet, obsidian irises still rested on Will's face

"Maybe lame-ness and boredom had, too, you know. Lucky for us this isn't a Starbuck, or else someone would have to decipher your handwriting."

"Ha, ha, funny little jokester, you truly are." Will rolled his eyes, hands moved to make the macchiato that his muscles had grown to be familiar with.

"See, at least I don't have lame replies to jokes."

"Oh, see, that's because my so-called 'lame replies' are at least humorous enough for everyone to be able to generate a decent reply." Will's eyes were fixed on the cup of coffee, for which he regretted not being able to observe the other man's immediate facial responses.

"If you need to believe so in order to console yourself, go ahead." Nonetheless, Will could imagine Nico dramatically rolled his eyes, again. "Still, you haven't answered my question: Was that your sibling?"

"Yeah, both of them were on the phone, really, but lucky for my ears and dignity that only one of them has the nerve to yell." Will's mind drift about what image should he draw today for Nico's cup

"Bold of you to assume that you have any left after that shout, though." A fox, maybe. A sassy, milky white fox. Perhaps he would let the coffee blend-in enough for the fox to had brown fur.

"Bold of you to assume that you still have any, quoting a meme."

"Hey, one got to catching up with slangs these days, you know. Unlike some cranky old person."

"Whatever ya say, tiny." Will glanced toward the said person, who already brought out his laptop and seemingly about to start typing

"Sure, William, I noticed the floors up there is at least five inches taller than the ground."

Will didn't even bother to correct the name, "I mean, the last time we met outside of this shop, you were still shorter than me."

"Shut your trap, Wilston, I was sitting down." It seemed like Nico somehow knew about the fact that his name really was not William (Will blamed Annabeth. Wasn't she the only one who could disclose that information?) and as of now, just tried to use random names to get a response out of him. Will couldn't stop his laughter this time; he let loose the airy, funny laugh from his lungs. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, just that you're playing the exact game my little brother is playing. Except that he actually knows my name, and just want to mess around." The brief laughter died off, yet its corpse remained in the form of a smile on Will's lips.

"Oh."

"And to give more details on your questions. Yes, I have two younger siblings. One male and one female," Will might or might not forget to mention his two older brothers, but that's a story to be developed in later days. A half-covered truth, in this situation, for Will was not a lie. "His name is Austin, and her name, the one that was shouting, is Kayla."

"A handful, they seemed." Nico ruminated

"Well, generally speaking, they're good kids. But yeah, the pranks drove me insane sometimes. Lovely kids, nonetheless." Sometimes, it concerned him how much of a mom he sounded like - how much of a mom he was to them in the absence of their mother; but he didn't utter anything. It wasn't time, yet. "You got any siblings, though? Enough about me."

In a fleeting second, Nico surprised gaze was frozen in place, stilled against the flow of time. He quickly diverted his gaze toward the streets outside, his inky pupil melancholically straitened. Ironically, perhaps, a tint of blue from whatever sign out there reflected its color on his forlorn orbs, then the guy's breathing gradually slowed. Will wondered if he asked the wrong question. Guilt engulfed his gut, sent through his spine a spark of ice, his sense tingled for him to apologize, yet his eyes and soul could not utter a sound, for Nico's woebegone beauteousness was whittled out of glass - elegant yet fragile, merely for eyes to touch yet not for caress to see - and was it a tragic piece of art, for miseries were the element of its painstakingly exquisite portrayal, a burden so cumbersome, yet bleached with tears and bloodshed into a pulchritude. Was it so heartbreaking that this crestfallen beauty required breathing, required blood to stream through its vein, required neurons to send flares of sorrow throughout his body? There would exist neither pain nor beauty without the rushes of life prodding through human's veins, yet such grace was inflicted upon unfeeling woods, and not another beating heart. Was it fair for the universe to sculpt a life into a living art? Was all that was at stake worth the torment to form such transcending elegance: ichor surging through a sculpture of agony, living force pounding against the hewed claw marks? Perhaps the only path to truly touched human's heart through art was to whittle such art upon living beings, for cruelty was only acknowledged after a costly disaster.

Nico suddenly seemed so small and fragile against the friction of time. As if after all those adorned embellishments were peeled away, only the broken, terrified child remain. A child so young yet had already felt such immense sufferings. His stature stiffened, eyes still not dared for any being to see, yet Will had found the scarred child deep within.

Would he shatter if a sound dared to intrude this coagulated silence?

And for Will acknowledged that the man there was human, that life thrived within him unconsciously, he spoke. His voice trembled more than he thought it would be, the agony he felt more than his conscious mind was aware of.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry if... the subject is sensitive to you."

Will saw the surprise jerk of Nico's shoulder; as if the air his words resonated suddenly shook him awake from his dream. Eyes still lost in the crowded world outside, Nico gently whisper, barely enough for Will to catch

"It's alright..." There is a pause, before his wavering voice steadied itself, "I have a half-sister, Hazel, you probably didn't notice her from the karaoke night."

Something was hidden within such curt and simple reply, yet Will didn't probe. Didn't dare to, and didn't want to. He respected the guy's secrecy, and since there were hidden words in his sentences earlier, it was not fair to further provoking Nico's woe. He brought the cup of coffee and the cake to Nico's table himself this time, the sudden clicks of porcelain against wood once more shook the ebony orbs out of their pondering.

"See, you're not that much taller than me." Nico tried to make a joke, tried to smile instead of a grimace, yet the dusky-colored air around them had yet to fade away. Sorrow clutched into the air, not quite ready to part yet.

"Whatever, kid." Will so desperately wanted to ruffle his hair, to run his calloused hands through Nico's soft onyx locks, like how he often did to console Kayla and Austin's tears, yet found himself not able to. For some reason, he sat down, opposite to Nico, the laptop stood between them like a barrier.

Nico did not comment. His eyes betrayed his defensive stature; they longed for Will to share their pain, for Will to deepened his light into those impossibly dark pits.

"I had a bigger sister, too" was all Nico muttered, the sound waves emitted were so tiny against the movement of air. Will thought he had misheard his words, but beside the quiet, foggy voice, each consonant was clear and void.

Unconsciously, Will's palm reached the other's trembling hand, the quiver so negligible that it was almost impossible to felt. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 taps. A pause. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, again. The steady rhythms gave them something to focus on.

Outside, a summer rain merrily marched its way through the town.

-------

That day, Nico barely got anything written in the shop. First was the mention of his... family, then it was the persistent tapping of Will's gentle fingertips against his hand. The sunlike warmth of his palm left a burnt imprint on Nico's olive-skin. Not that at that point, his brain was in the shape to get anything done.

Honestly, he didn't blame Will. It wasn't like he was a seer or any of the like; the guy didn't know how sensitive he was to the slightest allusion toward Bianca, and it wasn't his fault that their conversation was about siblings and family. If it was anything to go by, in the end, Nico still disclosed the fact that Bianca existed.

Existed. Exists. Existing. Existed.

He no longer sure if it would matter if Will knew about the incident.

--------

"A thickened air of tense quietness embraced the pair before Mei could bring herself to glanced once more into Songoro's eyes. The ambers that she had grown to trust upon were fogged with inquietude and hesitation. The taut, soundless atmosphere felt like extreme humidity; as if every particle in the air was gravitating toward their inner battle, ravenous for the taste of their struggle on some quantum-scaled tongues. The room temperature seemed to drop, the esurient air besieged their breathing, hindered the oxygen exchange. Right, Mei felt suffocated, purely from tense uncertainty and anticipation - suspense for whatever decision they were going to make.

The burden of the world had mushed their lungs together, flat, voided of life.

And thus, so was the plan they schemed. Voided of humanity and compassion, void of empathy and moral. And soon, voided of breathing being.

There was too long yet too little time for Mei to decipher the lines embarked on Songoro's face. Too long the days they spent staring into papers, scheme, and strategies; too little the hours they spent to know the hidden anxiety, the turbulent emotions within their hearts.

Mei was aware of how Songoro often stared into her eyes, discretely, from a respectful reach. Not the way another general drilled into another, piercing his way through her armored arguments to find a sophistry; his gaze was compassionate and empathetic, the very way opposite with the nature of their incoming work, yet she won't complain. They were human, after all, she reminded herself. But the way she remembered the moments when Songoro's ambers were limpid and sharp made it hard to be so, as of right now.

She knew what his eyes meant when he stared at her like that. As if he was trying to decode the misery in her eyes, then gave up and lured himself into a still observation. She knew the poetic way he was assessing her pain. It was ludicrous. She knew that he tempted to convey the torment in her eyes into some crudely stunning arts. That whatever scars and marks were indented on the mahogany of her skin, that he would sketch them as adornments for his sculpture. As if sorrow was exquisite and her body was the gold-varnished embodiment of despair. As if the ichor rushing through her veins and her scars coalesced into diamonds. It made her conscious, now, when the gloom had melted away from her heart. Songoro meant well, Mei reminded herself, despite the inner protest of her mind. How tired she was of compassionate eyes throw their gazes toward her direction -  as if the woe within her was a black hole, gluttonous for empathy. Mei was not craving for their silent consolation, still, the rain of their collective guilt over her past drenched her lungs.

But Songoro was a man of action, one of the only people whose next step was not away from her to nurse their own tears, but toward Mei in her forlorn expression and awkwardly tried to console her. Her mind suddenly drifted toward the steady beat of Phoebe’s fingers against her skin.

Of course, she noticed the hurt in his eyes, too, as it emerged from the ocean of amber he desperately drowned it under. Mei noticed it before, and it was here, at that very moment, as they decide if the sacrifices were going to worth the chance. She saw the perturbation threatened to emerge and devastate his mind; a burden handled so immaculately at the first sight that no one bothers to lingered a bit longer, to see that his barricade was about to shatter into pieces just as glass. There was an invisible responsibility in his shoulder and the weariness it inflicted upon his darkened eyes, a strain that ruptured the gemstones that were his eyes, his dam, his panoply. Mei wondered if there was something else hidden in his silence; a thought so personal and unfathomable that no one could reach into. Countless times she heard the quietest of audible noise escaped his thought before sound succumbed to the roaring silence of their own awkwardness, speechlessness, and guilt. Mei could understand, yet not truly feel, how onerous and harrowing the plan was going to be for Songoro - if there was an unspeakable cause of his hesitancy. Yet, one thought she was certain of amidst the grueling nature of this moment, was that sooner or later, they would need an immense resilience to accept that this was the best they could think of.

The only strength they need was the strength to admit that someone's blood would be on their hand. And that there was no other way.

Thus, Mei squeezed his hand. Firmly. Twice. So that their ideal was spared a chance to blossom."

----------

Hi, finally I’m back with... this kinda slightly longer than before chapter. Thanks to @fififerielb and everyone that enjoyed my previous chapters :3 So sorry this took so long, but life and writer’s block are apparently a thing so..... :cry:

[strictlyfavorites]

CHAMPAIGN — For all the pent-up concern about this Michigan football team, there was never much of a question as to whether it would beat Illinois on Saturday. The question lay in the “how” of it.

For a time, it seemed like Michigan (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) might answer that question emphatically, beating down Illinois and taking momentum into a trip to Penn State next week. But it’s hard to be optimistic after a second half in which the offense stalled, the defense let Illinois back into the game and the Wolverines needed late heroics in a 42-25 win over the Illini.

Those late heroics came on both sides of the ball. Once Illinois had cut into a 28-0 lead to make it a three-point game early in the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Shea Patterson strung together a 10-play drive, converting a key fourth-and-2 in the red zone with his legs and lofting a pass that found junior wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones in the corner of the end zone.

That brought the lead back to 10 and from there, it was the defense’s turn. Sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone and fifth-year senior defensive end Mike Danna forced fumbles on two consecutive Illinois drives, killing any chance of a comeback and securing the win.

“The things I’m proud of as a team is — there wasn’t this, ‘Here we go again,’ ” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “They rose up and got a few fumbles of our own.”

Still, especially against Illinois, a perennial Big Ten doormat with a 2-4 overall record, it’s hard to square the victory itself with everything that made it so hard to get.

On paper, this should have been easy for Michigan, and for the first half, it was. The offense ran the ball straight down Illinois’ throat, passing last week’s rushing yards total by the end of their fourth drive. Patterson worked off that success, hitting sophomore Luke Schoonmaker and senior Nick Eubanks for touchdowns to make the lead to 28-7 at halftime.

Then it nearly fell apart. The offense fell back into its struggles after Illinois started slanting a defensive end hard in the run game. Patterson’s rhythm seemed off in the passing game, and the Wolverines didn’t score in the third quarter as its defense gave up 18 points.

Suddenly, minutes into the fourth, senior running back Tru Wilson fumbled — the same issues that have haunted Michigan all year cropping up again. Illinois running back Dre Brown scored and then converting a two-point attempt to make it 28-25 with 12:50 to go.

“Anytime you got a lead like that, coming out of the second half you gotta keep the foot on the pedal and in full throttle,” Patterson said, admitting there was frustration. “But sometimes in a game, it happens like that and just gotta stay within ourselves.”

Michigan did, but still, the tune felt familiar. Here the Wolverines were, again, fumbling the ball, playing down to an opponent and taking a win that felt just a little bit hollow.

“I think it was after they scored a two-point conversion, everybody kinda started wilding up and not really trusting each other at that moment,” McGrone said. “But I think we got back to the sideline, got to talk. It’s all good.”

It was an oddly candid moment from McGrone, who admitted things started to break down with the defense yelling at the offense as others continued to speak in the language of optimism and positivity.

To be sure, there are positives to take. A season-high average of 6.1 yards per carry behind Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins — and a first-half stretch in which Josh Gattis’ offense seemed to work as intended. Another standout performance from sophomore wideout Ronnie Bell, who went for 98 yards as Nico Collins sat out with an injury. Another game in which the defense stepped up when asked.

Harbaugh, standing at the podium afterwards with his hands in his pockets, seemed genuine in his praise. “Pleased with the way the offense played,” he said. “Thought they performed extremely well.”

Michigan will take the win. But to meet any of their preseason goals, the Wolverines must navigate a gauntlet that still includes Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State.

“Our guys rose to the challenge,” Harbaugh said. “They were tested mightily and they did a great job. Didn’t flinch, kept playing, kept fighting.”

But when the challenge gets greater — starting next week in State College — it could take a whole lot more to meet it.

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: (SAT) UCONN RALLIES LATE TO BEAT OR BU

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The hockey gods were in Hartford Friday night. The Huskies were outplayed in the final 39 of the game's 40 minutes. They made the last 1:19 of play count and won 4-3 in overtime on Sasha’s Payusov’s game-winner 19 seconds into overtime. BU’s Patrick Curry turnover went to Brian Freeman on the left-wing and he sent the pass across to Payusov and he put his 12th of the season and second game-winner into the net for the victory and sending the crowd of 5,653 into a frenzy. “Freezie made a great play. He got the puck, made the pass and it was an easy tap in goal,” Payusov said with a wide grin of his second game-winner of the season. For Freeman, he knew exactly what he wanted to do the minute he got the puck. “That was some of the chemistry Sasha and I have developed over the years. I knew he was going to be crashing the net. He was right behind the goalie and put it in for us.” For head coach Mike Cavanaugh, it's nice when the hockey gods shine on you. “Hockey gods reward teams that play the right way. I think we're a team that plays the right way. We continually put pucks in deep and Ben went to the net and we got a shot and that’s how you have to play the game. Look at all the goals scored tonight, except the first one by BU, everything else was from within three feet of the net, that’s where you have to play the game.” The Huskies knew that crashing the net for the tying goal would be required as they got a six-on-five when UCONN pulled starter Tomas Vomacka, and during a previous timeout assistant coach, Joe Periera, a West Haven-native drew it up and it worked. The Terriers had the Huskies hemmed in with a victory within their grasp, but UCONN snatched it away. UCONN’s got it down to the right-wing half wall to Jachym Kondelik and he snapped a shot from on top of the right-wing circle that Sam Tucker stopped, but Freeman was lurking behind the goal line and hid his 6’5 frame and was able to use his reach and batted the rebound behind Tucker with 56 seconds left in the regulation. “Coach Periera drew up the play and we put the puck on Jachym. (He) got a great shot on the play. I really wasn’t supposed to be there, but I was glad I was,“ Freeman laughed as he thought of the turn of events on the game-tying play. “I was just trying to get into it. I just waited for Jachym to shoot the puck and it was just laying there. I was in a soft spot just fortunate enough to put it home.” For Mike Cavanaugh, the sense of escaping with two precious points was there as he was decompressing from the wild turn of events. “Clearly, I was happy with the win in kind of a unique game. We came out and played very well in the first. Tomas played well, made some saves. The second was completely the opposite. In the third, not a lot was happening as BU they’re a good team, kept us from getting to the blue paint area. We lost a tough game in OT last week (in Maine) because we sat back and I told the kids this week if we get to overtime and we will let not sit back. Incredibly, that happened tonight and when we tied it up that’s all the kids talked about on the bench,” remarked Cavanaugh. His counterpart, Albie O’ Connell was composed, but clearly trying to process what had just happened to the Terriers, who despite playing an excellent road game, came out on the short end of the stick. “When you play good and you feel you played a good game, and you get that in the last minute and then they score again, it really gets to you. It shows you gotta play the full-60 and overall, we played a good game. You can’t take away what they did. We had four guys around the puck (on the game-tying goal) counting the goalie, we had five. At some point, you gotta protect your goal. That’s something we have to work on and get better from,” remarked O’Connell, who was coming off the heels of a loss to Northeastern in the Beanpot final in OT. Doubt was not in UCONN’s mind despite what seemed like dire circumstances. “We were down, but we never thought about losing. We wanted to win and we got it. We have a lot of guys who can score goals here. We never doubted,” remarked Payusov, who spoke with a degree of certitude when battling for a playoff spot. For Ben Freeman, he was certain of the outcome despite what the scoreboard said. “We never wavered. There were ebbs and flows in the second period we were very resilient tonight." A TV timeout aided the Huskies as well. “We had a little meeting and got that TV timeout. We got back to the bench and said we need to calm down and stick to our game plan and we came right out afterward,” Payusov, a senior, stated. It was also after BU had kept them pinned in their own end of the ice and came close to getting the insurance goal. UCONN has an early chance at the left side of the net to tie the game as Payusov put a shot on net that the grad transfer from Yale, goalie, Sam Tucker, (Wilton) stuck out his right pad and stopped at 2:45. The first period belonged to UCONN. The second belonged to BU as they scored three times to take the lead. Case McCarthy launched a shot from the right point. It went off the top of Vomacka’s glove and into the net at 4:26 to cut the lead to one. The Terriers persistently broke the Huskies down, dumping the puck and being physical on the forecheck and got their second goal halfway through the period. BU freshmen, Robert Mastrosomine, went around a stick check from Harrison Rees waited for the last second and sent a perfect net-front short pass to Jack DeBoer who easily smacked home his third goal of the season. Then late in the period BU’s Patrick Curry, behind the net unchecked, fished a backhand pass through the box to Cam Crotty at the right point. He beat an open right side that was left by Vomacka as he came out to challenge the shot at 17:35 for his third of the season. The first period was all UCONN. The Huskies took a 1-0 and no surprise Carter Turnbull scored it. In the left-wing corner, he out-muscled two Terriers, went to the net and slipped the puck between the legs of a third Terrier, retrieved and jammed it in on the forehand at 11:12 for his 11th goal and the 1-0 lead. UCONN tallied a second on the powerplay. The red-hot Wyatt Newpower from the right point drilled a low shot. Tucker made the save despite a screen of Kale Howarth, but he had a solid position in front and swept the puck into the net for his fourth goal of the year. UCONN had a decided edge in shots at 15-9, but Vomacka made the saves that kept BU off the board. Early in the game, he stopped an open Logan Cockerill took a pass from Jeff Wise who was behind the Huskies net, but Vomacka glove hand snatched away a sure goal at.5:32 Then late in the period he twice stymied Curry had hit the side of the net and in a net-front scramble, he found the puck with 20.9 seconds to go. Then with 3.9 seconds left New Canaan’s Patrick Harper was on the right-wing as a lefty shot took a cross-ice from Trevor Zegras, a fellow Avon Old Farms alum, but Vomacka again had the glove hand low to the ice and scooped up the shot. NOTES: The UCONN Huskies record is now at the .500 mark at 13-13-4, 10-8-2 HEA. Boston University drops to 12-10-8, 9-6-5 HEA. UCONN is in sixth place, one point behind the Terriers, with 22 points and are two behind Maine in fourth place who beat Vermont 6-1. Boston College destroyed Northeastern 10-1 last night. The Huskies and Terriers travel to Boston for a rematch at 7 PM at the Agganis Arena at BU on NESN. Terriers' Ethan Phillips from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. His parents have been the billet for two NHL first-rounders with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), Swiss-born Nico Hirschier (Devils) and Czech native, Filip Zadina (Red Wings). Terriers have several sons of former players skating on their team. Jamie Armstrong is the son of Bill Armstrong, who played for the Bruins. Gabriel Chabot, his father Frederic Chabot, Jack DeBoer's father is Peter DeBoer is the head coach of the NHL Las Vegas Golden Knights. Former Husky, Max Letunov, in his second NHL game scored his first NHL goal against Edmonton on a three-on-two rush winding up with the puck and turning and firing it into the net on ex-Sound Tiger Mikko Koskinen. He was returned to the AHL San Jose Barracuda where he is having a breakout season on the last-place team. Read the full article

[runridedive]

EFC 79: ‘SMILEY’ DEMOLISHES CROATIA’S ‘COWBOY’

The Congo’s Igeu Kabesa (12-1) defended his EFC featherweight title for the sixth time at EFC 79 tonight, against Croatia’s Karlo Caput (8-1). In addition, Zimbabwe’s Themba Gorimbo (7-2) defeated Brazil’s Jose Da Rocha (10-5) to secure himself a welterweight title shot.

Croatia’s Kaput entered the bout with an impressive undefeated 8-0 record, and a sensational five second knock out at his last outing. The featherweight champion Kabesa, with only one defeat in his career, was confident throughout the build up to the bout, and backed his word inside the fight.

Kaput began by pressuring the champion with punches. Kabesa circled, and at just over the one minute mark, connected with a calculated overhand right that crumpled Kaput to the canvas.

Kabesa’s victory was brutal and decisive. He now cements himself as one of the greatest champions in EFC history.

The first round of the Grand Prix to determine the organisation’s new welterweight champion kicked off with Zimbabwe’s Themba Gorimbo returning after almost two year’s absense, to face Brazil’s Jose Da Rocha.

The first round featured a blizzard of leather with both men throwing punches. Da Rocha landed the more telling blows, but Gorimbo made use of his own speciality by tying the Brazilian up in the clinch and controlling the fight there. However, Da Rocha had Gorimbo in deep trouble in the last ten seconds, head-hunting a wobbling Gorimbo who was saved by the bell.

No doubt aware of potentially having lost the first round, Gorimbo immediately took the Brazilian down in the second and controlled the fight on the ground, landing regular strikes to almost certainly make it a round a-piece going into the third.

Gorimbo stuck to his winning formula, controlling the fight on the ground to take a decisive decision victory, and the chance to move on to the final to determine the new EFC welterweight champion.

“This is a one man show,” said Gorimbo post fight, describing the chance that either Conrad Seabi or Luke Michael will have of beating him for the title. “They would like to fight for the title, I will be winning it.”

Johannesburg native Pietie Coxen took on the Congo’s rising force Anicet Kanyeba at catchweight.

Coxen was trailing a three fight losing streak, and seemed to have the losses behind him with a run of hard strikes and good head movement that kept the Congolese athlete at bay, but Kanyeba’s crisp boxing won out; first dropping Coxen with a punch to the head, and then following moments later with a body shot that ended the bout.

South African Stefan Pretorius entered the Hexagon against the man with a 100% finish rate, in Durban’s Khulekani Hlongwa.

Pretorius scored a takedown from the fence within the first minute, took full mount, and then pounded his opponent’s head into the canvas with elbows, forcing referee Swart to stop the bout.

Pretorius has newly entered the middleweight division, and announced himself as an exciting new prospect there.

Brazil’s experienced Reinaldo Ekson (12-4), teammate of former title contender Jose Da Rocha, opened the night’s main card against local crowd favourite Tumisang Madiba.

Ekson quickly revealed powerful and accurate striking, tagging Madiba, who fired his own punch combinations in return, setting up a thrilling back and forth first round on the feet.

The second round saw Madiba spring into control with a flurry of straight rights and a takedown, which immediately back-fired as he fell into the Brazilian’s closed guard, and a waiting guillotine choke that ended the fight.

The official EFC 79 results are as follows:

Tommy Strydom defeated Given Majuba via TKO (strikes) 3:35 into round 1. Themba Mkhize defeated Corne Blom via tapout (guillotine choke) 2:14 into round 1. Roevan de Beer defeated Hishaam Kamish via tapout (rear naked choke) 3:34 into round 1. Rocky Ilunga defeated Elvis Ngwalangwala via unanimous decision. Nico Yamdjie defeated Juan Bezuidenhout via TKO (strikes) 1:08 into round 1. Faeez Jacobs defeated Billy Oosthuizen by KO 4:09 into round 1. Reinaldo Ekson defeated Tumisang Madiba via Tapout (guillotine choke) 0:35 into round 2. Stefan Pretorius defeated Khulekani Hlongwa via TKO (strikes) 3:01 into round 1. Anicet Kanyeba defeated Pietie Coxen via TKO (strikes) 3:14 into round 1. Themba Gorimbo defeated Jose Da Rocha via unanimous decision. Igeu Kabesa defeated Karlo Caput via knockout 1:03 into round 1, to retain his EFC World Featherweight Title.

The post EFC 79: ‘SMILEY’ DEMOLISHES CROATIA’S ‘COWBOY’ appeared first on Run Ride Dive.

from WordPress https://www.runridedive.com/efc-79/

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Roslovic Goes Duck Hunting, Perry Season Debut, Brassard Panthers Debut (Feb 3)

Although Corey Perry isn’t the fantasy asset that he used to be, it’s still worth mentioning that he made his season debut on Saturday. Perry was held without a point while taking four shots on goal in 16 minutes of icetime on what is clearly the Ducks’ top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. Perry is worth adding if he has been forgotten about in any mid-sized to deeper leagues.  

Unfortunately for the Ducks, Perry’s debut was overshadowed by a first-period six-goal barrage by the Jets that ended John Gibson’s night before the end of the first period. This was one of the worst goaltending stat lines of the season, and it came from a goalie that is considered a Vezina Trophy candidate for his work in keeping his team from getting destroyed on a nightly basis. If you don’t believe me, then take a look at their goal differential. Yeah, it’s a league-worst minus-39. Yet the Ducks are still within striking distance of a playoff spot in a watered-down Western Conference.

Dating back to his last game, Gibson has now allowed 11 goals in just 68 minutes. Yikes. Gibson is a solid goalie, but the team in front of him is ruining it for his fantasy owners.

The Ducks’ woefulness shouldn’t take anything away from what was an amazing game from Jack Roslovic, who scored three power-play goals and added an assist. Roslovic scored two of his goals in the first-period downpour, then sealed the hat trick in the second period. Interestingly enough, Roslovic was fighting the flu and nearly didn’t suit up.

Roslovic’s season stats won’t jump out at you (16 points in 51 games), but the talent is there and he now is getting the scoring-line opportunity that he didn’t have earlier this season when he was on the fourth line. He’s been taking full advantage lately, scoring five goals over his last four games after scoring just two goals in his first 47 games. Roslovic’s name has come up in trade rumors as the Jets might load up for a Stanley Cup run, but after Saturday I think he’s staying put. And guess what? He’s only 2 percent owned in Yahoo leagues.

Two of the three members of the Jets’ second line are really rolling right now. There’s Roslovic, and then there’s Bryan Little, who scored two goals and added an assist of his own. The struggling member of this line is Patrik Laine, who with his one assist broke his four-game point drought. One assist is better than nothing, but you’d think a player of Laine’s caliber would cash in more if his team scores nine goals.

The Jets have a multitude of young forwards as you scan down their lineup, meaning that Nic Petan is a perpetual healthy scratch. The Jets are reportedly shopping Petan, who has played just 13 games. I’m wondering if the Jets can leverage Petan and another young forward/pick for a top-6 forward that would round out a very strong top 9.  

*

Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek each had three points in the Flyers’ 5-4 overtime win over Edmonton. Giroux has been scoring at a point-per-game pace as expected, but the 2018-19 season has been more of a struggle for Voracek. The good news for his owners is that just like his team Voracek has begun to rebound. Over his last ten games, Voracek has recorded 13 points, with the last seven of those games resulting in Flyers’ victories. He won’t reach his 85-point campaign of last season, but he should be in for a stronger second half.

Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the Flyers’ lineup today after missing the past three games with a lower-body injury. Taking his usual spot on the first-unit power play, Ghost recorded a power-play assist on one of the Flyers’ four power-play goals in this game. I listed Gostisbehere as a potential second-half rebound candidate, and a strong Flyers’ power play will only help his cause.

In spite of allowing four goals on Saturday, Carter Hart still recorded his sixth consecutive win. Recently named the Rookie of the Month for January, Hart is second to Linus Ullmark in wins among rookie goalies. I wrote more about the Flyers’ goaltending situation in Friday’s Ramblings.

*

Recently recalled from the AHL, fellow rookie goalie MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 37 of 39 shots he faced to lead the Devils to a 3-2 win over Montreal. Keith Kinkaid has allowed at least three goals in each of his last six starts, but Cory Schneider just played in his fourth of five scheduled conditioning starts in the AHL. After that, the Devils will need to decide whether to bring up Schneider (which could bump Blackwood back down to the AHL) or place Schneider on waivers to bury him in the AHL. Schneider has not won a game since December 2017, so he’s literally fighting for his career at this point.

Nico Hischier scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner for the Devils. Hischier has now recorded two points in back-to-back games after being held without a point in his previous four games.

*

No Dylan Larkin for the Red Wings, no problem. The Wings’ leading scorer missed Saturday’s game with a strained oblique, an injury that could sidelined him for a week or two. Jonathan Bernier stopped all 35 shots he faced in the Wings’ 2-0 win over Ottawa. Larkin’s injury meant that Andreas Athanasiou was “promoted” to a line with Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader. Athanasiou, who I wrote about yesterday, was held without a point. I like him even more if Larkin has to miss a few more games.

*

Hopefully you didn’t bench Ryan Pulock after he entered Saturday with a seven-game pointless drought and a single point in his last 12 games. Pulock recorded three third-period assists in the Islanders’ come-from-behind 4-2 win over Los Angeles. The Islanders aren’t complaining about that right now, though – they’re just winning. With the win, Robin Lehner has now won 12 of his last 14 games.

*

With a goal and two assists on Saturday, Vladimir Tarasenko now has 13 points (7g-6a) in his last 12 games – since the start of January, to be exact. Your buy-low window has probably closed shut now. As a (new) Tarasenko owner, I had been hoping that he would be given a chance to line up with Ryan O’Reilly, and my wish has finally come true. The arrangement has also been positive for All-Star Game participant O’Reilly, who added another two points on Saturday and now has a seven-game point streak.

*

Fun play of the night from Filip Forsberg… hey, didn’t he close his hand when he caught that? Kind of like travelling in the NBA – why ruin a great play with a foul (penalty)?  

I'M FILIP FORSBERG AND I'LL JUST PASS IT TO MYSELF#Preds | #DALvsNSH pic.twitter.com/tYNP3Ezi4i

— FOX Sports Tennessee (@PredsOnFSTN) February 3, 2019

*

Erik Gustafsson scored two goals, including the overtime winner, in the Blackhawks’ 4-3 win over Minnesota. Gustafsson has been racking up the assists since after Christmas, so the two-goal effort may have been a bit of a surprise. After years of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, the torch has been passed to Gustafsson as the defenseman to own in fantasy. He leads all Hawks’ defenders with 33 points and has also taken over first-unit power-play duties as well.  

With a goal and two assists on Saturday, Alex DeBrincat has racked up nine points (3g-6a) over his last five games. Over his last 10 games he has eight goals and 14 points.

*

The Lightning were without Brayden Point on Saturday because of a lower-body injury. The resulting line shuffling resulted in Mathieu Joseph lining up with Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde, and Ondrej Palat playing on a lethal top line with Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Palat had just one point over his last four games entering Saturday. He wasn’t able to take advantage, so that’s one point in his last five games.

*

Thirsty Vancouver Canucks fans were finally able to “shotgun” their first beer since before Christmas. Jake Virtanen snapped a 13-game stretch without a goal, while adding an assist in the Canucks’ 5-1 win over Colorado. Shotgun Jake had recorded just one assist over that 13 games and was very nearly made a healthy scratch just before the All-Star break, but coach Travis Green instead elected to keep Nikolay Goldobin in the press box.

Oh yeah, and about Goldobin… not only was he back in the lineup on Saturday, but he was also handed the plum assignment of lining up with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, a spot that he is already familiar with. Goldobin also scored a goal, which should at least temporarily extend his time there. Goldy is a tempting fantasy option for his raw talent and his linemates, but his lack of defensive awareness and his tendency to be uninvolved in the play for long stretches results in him residing in Green’s doghouse too often. The funny thing is that Goldobin is the Canucks’ fourth-leading scorer at the moment (24 points in 45 games).

Your Pettersson highlight of the night:  

Elias Pettersson is ridiculously good. pic.twitter.com/Po5nzj97rR

— let’s go rangres (@DraftLook) February 3, 2019

Yet another rough night for Semyon Varlamov (five goals allowed on 26 shots). He’s simply not making enough saves to be in your fantasy lineup at the moment. The Avalanche outshot the Canucks in this game, but the Avs’ defense gave up what looked like too many high-danger scoring chances. Splitting up the top line (which they did on Saturday) to shake things up isn’t going to solve their defensive woes, which seem to be the real problem for the Avalanche.

*

Derick Brassard did in fact play a game for the Panthers, making his debut on Saturday. He recorded an assist on Mike Hoffman’s goal while playing on a line with Hoffman and Vincent Trocheck. I wasn’t sure how the Panthers’ lines would shake out, but that’s not a bad arrangement for Brassard at all. I said that he has to be in the top 6 to have fantasy value, and that’s where he appears to be. He might be worth taking a flier on, but the possibility of another trade still lingers as the Panthers look to make bigger moves.

*

Enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday, everyone! All the hockey (three games) will be on before the big game, so make sure your lineups are set early as you attempt to close the week out on a high note.

For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-roslovic-goes-duck-hunting-perry-season-debut-brassard-panthers-debut-feb-3/

[ultrasfcb-blog]

Professional14: Cardiff Blues 24-21 Cheetahs - Blues combat again to scrape victory

Professional14: Cardiff Blues 24-21 Cheetahs - Blues combat again to scrape victory

Professional14: Cardiff Blues 24-21 Cheetahs – Blues combat again to scrape victory

Cardiff Blues’ scrum-half Tomos Williams appears for a spot towards Cheetahs

Guinness Professional14: Cardiff Blues v Cheetahs Cardiff Blues (10) 24 Tries: Lee-Lo, Ll Williams, Robinson Cons: Anscombe 3 Pen: Anscombe Cheetahs (7) 21 Tries: Steenkamp, Maxwane, Janse Van Rensburg Cons: Schoeman 3

Cardiff Blues scraped previous Cheetahs for a 24-21 Professional14 victory after coming from 11 factors down within the remaining quarter.

Late tries from Lloyd Williams and Olly Robinson gave them victory after Rey Lee-Lo’s first-half rating.

Gareth Anscombe added 9 factors with the boot.

Walt Steenkamp, Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Sibhale Maxwane crossed for the South Africans, who gained a bonus level as they stayed winless.

The sport was marked by a number of TMO consultations between referee George Clancy and fourth official Jon Mason, with a number of hair-line selections given to the attacking facet.

Cardiff ultimately discovered their attacking rhythm to gather a second successive win after a disjointed first hour.

The guests took the lead after 18 minutes when lock Steenkamp dived on a free ball over the Blues line for a lucky rating, transformed by Tian Schoeman.

That appeared to spur Cardiff Blues into life and a grubber kick from Anscombe noticed Lee-Lo pounce, Anscombe levelling at 7-7 after one other prolonged TMO test gave the attacking facet the good thing about the doubt.

Late modifications turned the sport – Mulvihill

However an Anscombe penalty a minute from the break was the one different rating of a irritating first half.

Video official Mason was known as into motion once more 10 minutes after the break, permitting Maxwane’s fleeting landing from Schoeman’s grubber regardless of ideas of a ahead move earlier within the transfer.

The house facet then went two scores down on the hour as Nico Lee’s slip move put van Rensburg over, Schoemann changing once more for a 21-10 lead.

That compelled the hosts to up the tempo and substitute Lloyd Williams sniped over from a ruck with 15 minutes left.

Then got here Robinson’s essential strive, ploughing over after an excellent driving maul with 11 minutes left, Anscombe’s third conversion making it 24-21.

The momentum was now with the Welsh facet they usually simply failed in a late bid to gather an inconceivable bonus level as they had been held up on the road within the remaining transfer.

Cardiff Blues head coach John Mulvihill was relieved to see his facet win, saying: “We had guys kicking the ball away, we had 50-50 passes. We weren’t affected person in what we had been attempting to do.

“We had been attempting to get a four-try bonus level within the first 15 minutes and we most likely left 4 or 5 tries on the market within the first 20 minutes.

“Opponents get confidence and momentum after they see you try this.”

Cardiff Blues: Matthew Morgan; Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo, Willis Halaholo, Jason Harries; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Rhys Gill, Kristian Dacey, Scott Andrews, George Earle, Rory Thornton, Olly Robinson, Ellis Jenkins (capt), Josh Turnbull.

Substitute: Kirby Myhill, Brad Thyer, Dillon Lewis, Macauley Prepare dinner, Sion Bennett, Lloyd Williams, Steven Shingler, Garyn Smith.

Cheetahs: Ryno Eksteen; William Small-Smith, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Nico Lee, Rabz Maxwane; Tian Schoeman, Tian Meyer (capt); Ox Nche, Joseph Dweba, Aranos Coetzee, Walt Steenkamp, JP du Preez, Gerhard Olivier, Niell Jordaan, Junior Pokomela.

Replacements: Jacques du Toit, Charles Marais, Günther Janse van Vuuren, Justin Basson, Stephan Malan, Daniel Maartens, Shaun Venter, Louis Fouche.

Referee: George Clancy (IRFU)

Assistant referees: Pleasure Neville (IRFU), Gwyn Morris (WRU)

TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)

For the newest Welsh rugby union information observe @BBCScrumV on Twitter.

BBC Sport – Rugby Union ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/rugby-union/12539/

#Barcelona

[365footballorg-blog]

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Philadelphia Union | 2018 MLS Match Preview

September 17, 20183:27PM EDT

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Philadelphia Union 2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 30 CenturyLink Field — Seattle Sept. 19 — 11 pm ET WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

Fresh off capturing the Cascadia Cup, the red-hot Seattle Sounders put a nine-match winning streak on the line when they take on the Philadelphia Union Wednesday night at CenturyLink Field.

The Sounders are coming off a 2-1 road win over the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday and can move even on points with third-place LAFC with a 10th straight victory, while the Union had a five-match unbeaten streak snapped with a 4-1 home defeat to the Montreal Impact.

This will be the 11th meeting between the two teams. The Union have won two of the last three league encounters (1L), having only won two of the first seven (3L-2D), per Opta.

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle (13-9-5) extended a winning streak to nine games and an unbeaten run to 12 games with a 2-1 win over the rival Whitecaps at BC Place Saturday night.

Raul Ruidiaz opened the scoring in the 21st minute and had his brace three minutes before the break. Kei Kamara pulled the Caps back a goal with a header deep into first-half stoppage time and nearly leveled after halftime, but the frenetic match had no second-half goals as the Sounders captured the Cascadia Cup with one match left in the annual Pacific Northwest series.

“Nine wins in a row is impressive. We understand it’s pro sports, the streak is going to come to an end at some point. We just didn’t want it to happen tonight,” Brian Schmetzer said. “We wanted to make sure that, look if it started off a little rocky, don’t panic. We’re a good team, it’s going to come back to you guys. It’s like riding a bike, you guys will jump back on and things will start clicking again.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: D – Jordy Delem

International duty: None

Injury Report: OUT: F – Jordan Morris (torn ACL), F – Felix Chenkam (herniated disc)

Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left) GK: Stefan Frei — Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Brad Smith — Gustav Svensson, Osvaldo Alonso — Cristian Roldan, Nico Lodeiro, Harry Shipp — Raul Ruidiaz

Notes: In 759+ minutes with Ruidíaz on the field this year, Seattle averages 2.3 goals per 90 minutes. In 1,858+ minutes without him this year, that number drops down to 0.9 goals per 90. … The Sounders have won an MLS-record nine consecutive games, five of which have come by a one-goal margin.

Philadelphia Union

Philadelphia (12-12-4) saw a one-goal lead and a five-match unbeaten streak evaporate Saturday night when the Impact scored four unanswered goals in a 4-1 win at Talen Energy Stadium. It was the Union’s first home loss since a 3-1 defeat to the LA Galaxy on July 21.

Auston Trusty scored his first MLS goal in the 11th minute, but Alejandro Silva leveled before the half hour mark and Saphir Taider gave the visitors the lead at the break. Quincy Amarikwa and Silva added second-half insurance goals as the Impact moved to within one point of fifth-place Philadelphia.

“All of the stakes are high,” Jim Curtin said. “I think every result matters in a big way. You see how tight the table is in the Eastern Conference. You see how quickly things may change, how quickly a big road win can go for a team. We were the team that was doing that a couple weeks back.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: D – Jack Elliott

International duty: None

Injury Report: None

Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left) GK: Andre Blake — Keegan Rosenberry, Jack Elliott, Auston Trusty, Raymon Gaddis — Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya — CJ Sapong, Borek Dockal, Fafa Picault — Cory Burke

Notes: The Union have conceded seven penalty goals this year, tied for the third most of any team in MLS. … The Union have scored in six straight league matches (4W-1L-1D), their longest streak since scoring in eight straight in 2016.

All-Time Series

Overall: Seattle Sounders FC 4 wins, 11 goals … Philadelphia Union 4 wins, 13 goals … 2 draws

At Seattle: Sounders FC 4 wins, 7 goals … Union 1 win, 4 goals … 0 draws

Last meeting at Seattle: Seattle Sounders FC 2, Philadelphia Union 1 (April 16, 2016)

Officials

Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant Referees: Jeff Hosking, Jeremy Hanson 4th Official: Daniel Radford VAR: Allen Chapman

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Seattle Sounders FC vs. Philadelphia Union | 2018 MLS Match Preview was originally published on 365 Football

[junker-town]

Morning Skate: Rangers' stumbles to start the season must change, or they will

The Rangers have lost their last five straight games, and something has got to give.

You love hockey. You love SB Nation. You love reading hockey at SB Nation. Search your feelings. You know these things are true. But life's too busy to browse the whole network for news. So we'll send hockey news to your inbox every morning. All you need to do is subscribe.

Lace ’em up. Time for the Morning Skate.

You would think nowadays, a hockey team is as only good as their defense. The Pittsburgh Penguins proved that adage wrong in the most recent Stanley Cup Final, but this current iteration of the New York Rangers doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep them afloat like their Metropolitan Division rivals.

As it stands on Friday, the Rangers have won just one hockey game. Since opening the season, the Rangers are 1-5-2 and have lost five straight after taking 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders Thursday evening.

It's been a mess of a season so far for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist hasn't looked like his usual dominant self, and his .905 save percentage has put him as one of the league's worst a few weeks into the season. The all-world netminder hasn't gotten help either, as the Rangers defense has been disjointed and chaotic on most evenings. Their possession stats haven't fared much better, as according to Corsica, the Rangers have the 10th worst even strength CF% in the league at 47.87.

While it's still early in the season, the signs aren't looking good. Head coach Alain Vigneault hasn't done much so far this season to inspire confidence in his lineup, and his stock is rising by the game to be the first bench boss fired. The Rangers have the pieces to be a playoff contender, with Kevin Shattenkirk, Mats Zuccarello, and Lundqvist leading the charge, but changes may be coming sooner than they think if things don't turn around.

One sentence recaps

Bruins 6, Canucks 3: Three straight power play goals in the first were enough to keep Boston ahead, though they bent just a bit in the second period.

Islanders 4, Rangers 3 (SO): The Rangers remain winless in regulation after five straight games in a sloppy New York rivalry match.

Predators 1, Flyers 0: The goals just wouldn't come this time for Philadelphia as Pekka Rinne shut the door.

Lightning 2, Blue Jackets 0: Mikhail Sergachev's first two goals were enough to eke by the Blue Jackets.

Devils 5, Senators 4 (OT): Nico Hischier also got his first two goals of his NHL career, but the Devils nearly lost their second game of the season thanks to a costly middle frame.

Oilers 2, Blackhawks 1 (OT): A combined 73 shots resulted in just three goals, including a Mark Letestu overtime winner.

Blues 4, Avalanche 3: Three straight Blues goals in the second period helped withstood a Colorado comeback.

Hurricanes 2, Flames 1: Carolina rolls to match best start in franchise history thanks to Scott Darling's 25 saves.

Stars 5, Coyotes 4: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and, John Klingberg all had multi-point games for the Stars as the Coyotes stay winless.

More hockey

Connor McDavid absolutely disrespected the Blackhawks’ defense with this spin-o-rama assist.

The Colorado Avalanche have reassigned Andrei Mironov to the AHL.

Nico Hischier scored his first and second career NHL goals within two minutes of each other.

Jeff Carter out indefinitely after sustaining a skate cut to his left leg.

[sportsleague365]

Special teams were not kind to the 2016-17 New Jersey Devils. Their power play and penalty kill success rates were in the bottom third in the league. As a part of the AATJ 2017-18 Season Preview, this post breaks down what happened with special teams and what to expect - good and bad - for this coming season. One of the many areas where the New Jersey Devils struggled last season are special teams. Both their power play and their penalty kill yielded success rates that ranked in the bottom third of the National Hockey League. While most of the game is played in 5-on-5 - a situation the Devils performed poorly in last season - special teams can absolutely turn the tide of a game. This is a part of the team that ideally would improve as part of a larger goal of showing improvement as a team. Can they do so? Let’s look at where they are coming from and what they might do to in order to set some expectations. WHAT HAPPENED LAST SEASON WITH THE POWER PLAY? I lamented the Devils’ power play in too many comments, recaps, and Tweets in this past season. So many opportunities seemingly wasted. So many dump-ins and turnovers to end forward movement. So many shorthanded goals against. I was not a fan. Let’s look at the numbers rather than focus on memories of the past. The overall success rate was not as bad as that seems - but it was not all that good either. According to NHL.com, the Devils’ success rate was 17.5%, which was the 22nd highest rate in the league. The team went 44 for 251 to get that mark. Their 251 power play opportunities was tied with Anaheim for the eleventh most in the NHL. Their 44 goals ranked 20th in the NHL. Perhaps it would be more fair to state that the team had plenty of opportunities relative to most teams - and they did not score so many goals. Further, their 44 goals were almost entirely 5-on-4 goals as the team converted just one (1) 5-on-3 goal all season. The thought about the shorthanded goals was fair as originally written. Their 12 shorthanded goals allowed were the most in the NHL last season. That just stands out as bad on its own. The team stats at Natural Stat Trick go a little a deeper and really highlight that the Devils’ power play was not all that effective. Their rate stats for the power play show the following: * The Devils’ Shots For per 60 minute rate was 48.1, which was the ninth lowest rate in the NHL. This would be fine if the Devils were scoring plenty of PPGs. They weren’t though. * The Devils struggled to get scoring chances. Their Scoring Chance For per 60 minute rate was 44.31, which was the fourth lowest rate in the NHL. Their High Danger Scoring Chance For per 60 minute rate was 18.65, which was the twelfth lowest rate in the NHL. The Devils’ shooting percentages in those situations were roughly 11.4% and 20.3%, respectively. When they were able to get chances, they finished them at a good rate. The issue was getting the chances at all. * Over all shots, the Devils’ shooting percentage during the power play was 12.54%. That percentage put the Devils right at the league median. Again, a fine rate - when the Devils were able to get shots off at all. This all points to a New Jersey power play that really did have issues in terms of generating shots and scoring chances, which are shots within and around the slot. While the rates seem high on their own (it is a power play after all), that they were low in comparison to the other NHL teams shows that they were not high enough. Why so many issues? It seems like a cliche but the power play lacked a real identity. While the team preferred to set up in a 1-3-1 format, this was not always the case as one of the wingers could drop back to play the point. Even so, there were few common plays that the team would try. Making matters worse was the lack of consistency in personnel. According to NHL.com, only three Devils skaters played more than 200 minutes on the power play (Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac), nine skaters, but twenty skaters averaged at least fifty seconds per game on the power play in 2016-17. You cannot say that John Hynes and his staff were not willing to give some players chances on the man advantage that they may otherwise not receive. Sure, injuries, last season being a lost one in early 2017, and the timing of certain call-ups led to plenty of power play usage for players that otherwise would not get it on other teams. It still did not really work all that well based on the team stats. The most productive power player on the Devils was Palmieri with eight goals, eleven assists, and sixty shots on net per NHL.com. It is telling that Palmieri, Taylor Hall (45), and Michael Cammalleri (40) were the only skaters to put up over 40 shots on net. Even Henrique and Zajac, who played a lot of gross power play ice time, did not shoot thirty even shots on net. If there were plans, then it tended to end up on these guys to fire away. Results were mixed as the three combined for sixteen goals: eight for Palmieri, seven for Hall, and just one for Cammalleri. If there were any nice surprises among the scorers, then it was Pavel Zacha who scored five goals out of twelve shots while also providing eight assists. PREVIEWING THE 2017-18 POWER PLAY If there was one aspect of the team that was not all that hot in preseason, then it was the power play. That was somewhat understandable given that the team only had a handful of practices before jumping right into a preseason schedule of seven games over nine days. The penalty-filled games were opportunities for both teams to really practice their power play. Given that it was preseason, rosters were mixed up enough to not really get a feel for what the power play will try to do. It may be another 1-3-1 formation given that the coaching staff remains the same from last season. The team will likely prefer to have four forwards and one defenseman given who they have acquired this Summer. What is new are the players. Among those twenty players who averaged at least fifty seconds per game on the power play last season, only nine made it to the 23-man roster announced on Tuesday. And it is not likely that Andy Greene or John Moore will be a major part of it unless the roster commands it. The Devils did add defenseman Will Butcher and forwards Nico Hischier, Marcus Johansson, Drew Stafford, and Brian Boyle to the organization. Johansson, Stafford, and Boyle have averaged at least a minute per game on their respective team’s power plays last season. Johansson was especially utilized on Washington’s notorious top power play unit. Boyle, who we hope is able to play as soon as possible, can take some minutes on a secondary unit and at least use his size to cause screens in front. I think Stafford was signed in part because he has been good in front of the net and in power play situations. He’s quite good at passing the puck in tight spaces, which is a plus. With Travis Zajac out for several months, Stafford can be the man in the middle of the 1-3-1 and pounce on opportunities as he sees fit. I think that will be the plan with him for now. While they are rookies, I would expect to see plenty of Butcher and Hischier on man advantages to at least start the season. Butcher was given lots of minutes on the power play in preseason. Even in a game with Damon Severson, it was Butcher who was the lone defender on the ice with Palmieri, Hall, and Johansson on power plays. His passing skills and shot from the point are well suited for man advantage situations. The Devils are hoping he can be a viable contributor on a power play unit like they use Severson. Assuming when he does play; the Devils are carrying eight defensemen right now and who knows how long that lasts or how often Butcher stays in the lineup. As for Hischier, the 2017 first overall draft pick has shown that he has plenty of skill in his hands, grit in his game, and mind for both ends of the rink. It is unclear where would be the best place for him, but you can bet that the Devils will want to give him plenty of offensive situations to figure that out. He’ll at least stay on the roster as long as he is not injured. Additionally, as a sort of wild card, the Devils will try to include Mirco Mueller as a potential third option whenever Butcher is not in or if they want to provide a different look. Mueller has to effectively establish whether he is a NHL defenseman at all. He did have a good preseason, which is a good step towards that. It was highlighted by two goals from the point, both right off faceoffs. It remains to be seen whether Mueller’s slapshot is a repeatable threat and that he could be a point man on a power play. I do appreciate Mueller getting this opportunity instead of the Devils trying John Moore again, although I could see Moore getting some PP time if Mueller falters. Over the season, assuming this experiment works out and Butcher does become a regular, I’d expect the main power play defensemen to include Butcher, Severson, and possibly Mueller. These additions will join a power play side that already includes Palmieri, Hall, Henrique, Severson, and Zacha. Throw in someone like Miles Wood or eventual callups Joseph Blandisi and John Quenneville, and the Devils coaches have some options at hand. They could form one unit that will primarily feed Palmieri passes to the left circle for one-timers like they did in 2015-16. They could form another unit with a different approach to keep opposing penalty killers guessing. They could load up on one unit and have multiple players given the green light to fire if they have a good shot. It is like a puzzle - the coaches seemingly have plenty of pieces to put a picture together. What the team really needs to sort out first is how they approach making that picture. Again, the stats from Natural Stat Trick were consistent with a team that had problems with gaining the offensive zone and getting into shooting situations. The shooting percentage was fine, it was the shots that were lacking. What I recall from last season is consistent with that. If all Butcher is told to do is dump the puck in for a chase that likely fails or the unit is focused on passing rather than someone taking initiative, then the new additions will not be as effective. The coaches really need to step up this season in terms of coming up with breakout plays that the players can utilize, plays to run when they do get set up in the formation that they want, and means to improve puck control. The Devils power play can save themselves plenty of frustration and goals against with better movement and protection of the puck. If the Devils’ coaches and players can improve in those areas, then they’ll likely have more opportunities to get more shots on net, get more scoring chances, and (hopefully) get more goals. Improvement on the power play is a real possibility in 2017-18; it’ll take plenty of effort to get it. WHAT HAPPENED LAST SEASON WITH THE PENALTY KILL? The defensive side of special teams was not good last season either. Their success rate at killing penalties was 79.6%, which ranked 23rd in the NHL. This percentage came from allowing 53 goals out of 260 opportunities. Those values are worth knowing as the Devils allowed the sixth most power play goals in the league last season while also finishing tied for eight for the most times shorthanded. Discipline and stopping goals were not pluses as part of the PK. Scoring goals was relatively OK with six shorthanded goals. If there was any notable plus about the NJ PK, then it would have been their road penalty kill. For reasons I am not sure about, the Devils’ success rate on the road was one of the best in the league at 84.5% (22 PPGAs out of 142 situations). This plus was negated by their home penalty kill, which yielded the worst home success rate in the whole league at 73.7% (31 PPGAs out of 118 situations). Looking further at the team numbers shows that it was not as if the Devils’ PK units bled a lot of shots. According to Natural Stat Trick, the team’s per-sixty minute rate stats on the penalty kill were not too bad. New Jersey’s Corsi against rate (97.7, 12th in NHL), shots against rate (52.27, 12th), and scoring chances against rate (54.32, 14th), all finished above the league median. Their high danger scoring chance against rate (20.94, 16th) was just below the league median. These are all not too bad. They are not amazing and they could be better, but they all point to a PK unit that was OK when it came to allowing attempts, shots, and scoring chances. They had some good nights and some bad nights, but it evened out. So what was worse than being around or a bit above the median that led to a success rate that below the league median? All signs point to the goaltending. Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid combined for a team PK save percentage of 86.13%, the tenth lowest in the league last season. Schneider was below average in shorthanded situations with his lowest PK Sv% as a Devil at 85.5%. His previous low was in 2015-16 at 88.9%; that’s how big of a drop off it was last season. Kinkaid was around average with a 87.4%. While this was an issue in 2016-17, penalty killing save percentages can be volatile. Just some better puck luck could lead to improvement for both Schneider’s and Kinkaid’s save percentages in shorthanded situations. That alone may push the Devils’ penalty kill success rate to be closer to where the rate stats were. Getting away from the goalies and onto the skaters, the main four skaters for the penalty kill were Ben Lovejoy, Andy Greene, Travis Zajac, and Adam Henrique according to the ice time stats at NHL.com. Lovejoy and Greene were leaned on as they both averaged over three minutes of shorthanded ice time per game. The second unit (or if Lovejoy or Greene were unavailable) had a mix of Kyle Quincey, John Moore, Jon Merrill, and Steve Santini sharing minutes. As for forwards, Vernon Fiddler and Sergey Kalinin both played quite a bit on the PK until both were no longer Devils last season. Other forwards that averaged around a minute or more of PK time that were given chances included Devante Smith-Pelly, Blake Pietila, Blake Coleman, Blake Speers in his three games, and Kyle Palmieri. Only Coleman and Palmieri return in 2017-18. How did they do? The top four in minutes did relatively well. According to Natural Stat Trick, 226 players played at least 100 minutes on the PK last season. When ranked by shots against per sixty minutes, Lovejoy, Greene, Zajac, and Henrique all finished in the top 100. Lovejoy, Greene, and Zajac all had SA/60 rates below 50 and Henrique below 52. Those are some solid rates from a shot prevention standpoint. I’d go as far as to say that this was where Lovejoy was the most valuable and his pairing with Greene was functional. As for the guys outside of those four? Well, Fiddler, Smith-Pelly and Quincey were not too bad; but the team faced a higher rate of shots against when Santini, Moore, and Kalinin were involved. I know SA/60 is only one stat, but I think shot prevention is what a skater should focus on during a penalty kill. Even the higher rates were not so awful. Again, the goaltending was a relative weakpoint of the Devils’ PK and, as a result, the success rate suffered. PREVIEWING THE 2017-18 PENALTY KILL The good news is that most of the top PK unit returns for this season. Lovejoy, Greene, and Henrique are all back and ready to go. The bad news is that Travis Zajac is injured and will be for most of this season. There really is not a good replacement available. The new acquisitions at forward should not be expected to fill the gap. Marcus Johansson was not a regular on the PK in Washington. Drew Stafford has done some PK work in the past, but never to the amount that Zajac had done. Brian Boyle did average over two shorthanded minutes per game for a couple seasons in Tampa Bay. But that average shorthanded ice time per game dropped in each of the last two seasons and his SA/60 of nearly 73 was one of the highest rates in the league according to Natural Stat Trick. While he may be a center, knowing that does not fill me with confidence that Boyle could step in for Zajac. Nico Hischier definitely works hard on defense, which is great to see from a 18-year old jumping right in to the NHL. It would be asking a lot to have him play on the first penalty killing unit right away. Brian Gibbons, who made the Devils roster, could be utilized but, again, it would be asking too much to throw him into a top spot immediately. There really is not an internal replacement for Zajac that looks to step in right away. Blake Coleman was utilized on the penalty kill quite a bit in preseason and he could be a member of a unit as the season starts. Whether he can stick around in the NHL is another question, much less move up within the PK depth chart. Palmieri and Zacha both received some ice time last season. They may have to take some more shifts if only for the coaches to find out whether they can handle a larger PK role at all. Even then, it is questionable they can replace Zajac right away either. It is a tough decision. John Hynes and his staff may have to undergo some trial and error to find out who could fill in on the first unit until Zajac returns. That will help drive who ends on the second unit. It could be Coleman and Boyle, when Boyle is good to go. It could be Coleman and Hischier or Coleman and Stafford. Or even Zacha and Hischier. There are a lot of different options up front. Defensively, do not be surprised if it involves Santini when he’s in the lineup, Dalton Prout when he’s in the lineup, or Moore. This may not be such a huge deal since Lovejoy and Greene will likely and can take the majority of PK shifts. But you may see a little more trial and error on the secondary PK units. The coaches can make things a little easier on themselves if they continue to play a triangle-plus-one penalty kill. The plus one does not necessarily need to be a defensive stalwart. It needs to be someone who can pressure the puck carrier or point men into making a play while the triangle focuses on the middle. It is a role that someone who is aggressive and quick could fill in well. If the coaches can identify who that can be, then the first unit’s triangle could be manned by Henrique, Lovejoy, and Greene and the second unit’s triangle could be manned by other defensive minded players. While the PK unit was not so successful last season, the triangle-plus-one did work well in 2015-16 - and it helped that the goaltenders were much better. That’s the awkward thing about the penalty kill. If Schneider and Kinkaid are more fortunate and/or able to stop more pucks, then things will be better provided that the skaters can at least be a little better than the league median on the penalty kill. Not having Zajac for several months is a big deal and the Devils will be forced to try out some new faces on the PK units to see if anyone can fill the role in the meantime. But short of the skaters getting rolled over, improved goaltending performances may drive more success. There is one other aspect: discipline. The best penalty kill is not to take one. The good news is that Kyle Quincey and P.A. Parenteau are not on the Devils so they will not be among team leaders in minor penalties. The bad news is that Damon Severson, Miles Wood, Lovejoy, and Hall were also standouts in taking minor penalties and they’re on the team. Throw in Coleman taking 11 minors in 23 appearances last year and an emphasis on slashing penalties that may implicate plenty of slower defensemen who can get beaten by speed (Lovejoy), and I question whether the Devils can take fewer penalties in 2017-18. Whatever improvements these players can make as to avoid taking penalties will help lighten the load for the PK. Can they? I don’t know. Again, it is on the players. I wouldn’t hold my breath; don’t be surprised if the Devils remain around the top ten in shorthanded situations again. ADDITIONAL SPECIAL TEAM SITUATIONS The Devils were not awful at shootouts last season. Really. They went 3-3. It will be a challenge to identify who will be taking shootouts, though. I wrote more about it in this post. If the Devils can find reliable shooters, then that could help them get a few extra points in the standings. As for overtime situations, well, the Devils had only one overtime period in preseason and it was in their second game with a not-at-all full NHL roster. In general, the 3-on-3 overtime is all about possession and smart play. Throwing pucks away on shots or turning it over or taking a penalty can be costly. The 2016-17 Devils know all about that as it led to some of their seven overtime goals and many of their eleven overtime goals against. The good news is that the Devils should be able to nail down who can be their three players. Should Butcher prove to be the real deal in offensive situations, they can pick from him, Severson, Greene, and even Moore for a defenseman. Up front, Hall, Palmieri, Hischier, Zacha, Johansson, and Stafford will enjoy the extra room. It all comes down to which group can best maintain possession and win it back without taking a call. Succeeding there would be good first step to turn that OT record around. Again, it can help them get a few extra points in the standings. YOUR TAKE I see some possibility for improvement on the power play; improved save percentages while staying the course on the PK could yield more success on its own. Overtime and shootout remains up in the air, but the possibility for improvement is not totally impossible - just a bit difficult to identify. Can the coaches realize it? I’ll leave that question to CJ, who will address the coaching and management side of things later today. In the meantime, I want to know your opinions and thoughts about the Devils’ special teams. What do you expect the power play and penalty kill to do this season? Who should feature on each one? What sort of tactics should the Devils utilize? How should they handle shootouts and overtime situations? Can the Devils make improvements after a not-so-good 2016-17 season for the special teams? Please leave your answers and other comments about special teams in the comments. Thank you for reading. #F1 #WRCAnalysis #CarlosTevez

[xqr]

LLSIF Things 25: Can EN get a smile UR?

[JP laughing in the distance]

EN

Thank u klab. Every BT helps

fucking klab with their cheap packs making me spend like £3 on each...

I didn’t spend £3 for a healer ;_;

This Yohane is cute tho. I need more Aqours cards so like any is good (Y).

(I’ve been reading AoT. This face resonated with me)

BUT. PLOT TWIST. I didn’t scout on the day Xmas Pana was rate up.

No, I said I would be scouting in the smile box. But like, Maid Rin had a 50% rate up so I might as well have a crack at that with the chance of getting a Pana if I didn’t get Maid Rin... IF I COULD EVEN GET A UR. Anyway, it was con weekend and I had a bad influence friend over. And well, I like scouting with people. It’s more fun that way.

Good start. Maki’s a scorer and <3 Pana (she’s in the trash soon but oh well).

5 SRs? Damn. Good luck 4 me. Skill up that Vict Pana (Y). New shit. Good (they’re all trash tho lel)

Oh look - the rate up cards! Still, 4 SRs is good. And 2 Panas!! <3

Oh. was bound to happen. Shame about no other Maid cards (bc if I’d got Pana I would have been able to idolise her).

EN remains smile UR-less once more...

She was seal idolised lel

Hng 2 SR seals

I wasted so much G re-rolling for this set. But EN is rich so who cares. No T1 tho (tfw smile Medley had highest note count, but no smile UR so I couldn’t even top this score with the best smile songs rip). 

I fukin hate 8 day medfests. I spent 9 gems for this bitch. I don’t even like Riko. She’s not even a scorer.

So then I was like fuck it, let’s spend a gem to reach the 62.5K 2 gem reward. And then I was like fuck it, let’s spend that gem I just gained to reach T2. Thanks for that tier expansion. 11 gems on this MF. But I got 2 of them both.

And it turns out this is the first event I have tiered on both servers (it should have been a Pana event...). Admittedly I accidentally tiered on JP, whereas this was a last-minute decision. 

??? This took me 7 attempts on JP. What happened. I cracked out the PL team bc I was like why can’t I fuckin do this? (I missed notes on this one bit like every time so u gotta get them PLs to catch u if u fall after u actually do that One Bit). 

I shit on the cheerleader set a lot, but this is quite nice

thank u 4 ur sacrifice

when u believe in the heart of the scouting tickets

happy birthday i wasn’t meant to scout for u but 30 gems for an SR is too good to pass up

ew Job set 1. But OH BOY IT’S HAPPENING

EN beats JP to an SSR seal idolisation! And I couldn’t decide who to idolise. Part of me wanted to idolise Idol Honk so my cool team would have 3 idolised URs, 3 idolised SSRs and 3 idolised SRs. But I actually want even teams so

gorgeous

Helix

To make this less image heavy, insert an image of idolised VDay1 Pana. She is now sacrificed on all 3 accounts. 

Now imagine idolised Cyber Pana. She is a timer and is shit.

Anyway, Inky, who gave me this account was round. And I accidentally spent some BTs.

Ooh nice, a new card! (I now find I appreciate cards more if I have never owned them on any other account).

And this Rin comes to Helix. 

Anyway, the MF went quite badly for Helix. I put more time into EN as I wanted the 2nd Riko. And with con weekend in the middle I sometimes forgot about Helix. Luckily I still scraped T4 (srsly was up in the 30k rank), but after I got the first Riko I kinda lost all motivation as I had gems to put in on EN.

Um, wasn’t I meant to have more gems for this? Maybe if I actually played the medfest >.>

Doctor Mari!! Yess

I had another copy of You in my present box!

And then I did some work and hit 50 gems again.

HO! Nice. That Chika SSR. I have always desired it. Now this account alone has all the pretty dress Halloween cards. Lucky bastard. 

Anyway. I’m not slacking on either account for this NozoPana CF. I like CFs. They’re more rewarding. Plus, gotta show that support for my waifu. So far Helix has scored on Nico Puri. EN has hit Super Love=Super Live and managed to beat Helix (even with that 51 note advantage). I believe in the power of a lv4 scorer UR now more than ever.

JP

So. Those daily masters, yeah.

It went surprisingly well. Those triple taps were like...shit. But yeah, this is p good.

Me, at the start: this is going alright Me, when it all kicks off: fuck

My pure team only has 1 healer. And I’m looking at her like pls help me, son.

I’ve already sacrificed her lol. You just can’t be a PL event card these days and expect to fit onto a team.

Here are a few others that have left:

But finally...

I hate this UR pair idolised but the other teams have an idolised UR, so it’s only fair that I idolise a cool UR. But XQR, why not Marine Umi then? Bc this Maki is a lv4 scorer and actually helped my pure team in the last event rip. It has to be her.

sigh

Anyway, this went well.

It may have taken some time, but YnT’s master is the most fun I’ve had so far.

Me: You is likely to have a UR after this even. Other me: 30 gems for an SR!! Me: fuck

So. I accidentally a button clicked. And it didn’t load at all. And I was crying bc out flew the mystery pull and I was like what goddamn SR am I about to get that I already have.

And they flew out. R R R R R and I’m like where the fuck is my flip. R R R R and u know for a moment I believed the box was fucked and I was about to witness a 11R pull is2g. I was quite looking forward to getting my gems back.

But then the last one flipped.

HOLY SHIT. Ok yes I’m sorry for doubting you, of course I long ago downloaded the infamous initial Nozomi data that did not need to load. Boy it took me by surprise tho. A nice scoring addition to my team thank u v much non-tan. 

do u ever think u tapped the right team, but turns out u didn’t tap anything, so ur first team is up. For the wrong attribute. I was like we gotta get that S-score. And I did. Within the last 40 notes or some shit. Was on edge.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Aberg Traded; Troy Terry Called Up; Pettersson Traded; Larkin; Konecny – January 17

  Don’t forget to grab your copy of the 2019 Dobber Midseason Fantasy Guide! It’s available right now in the Dobber Shop. There is something for everyone: projections and tips to push for a league title this year as well as prospects and call-ups to watch for those that might be at the bottom of their league and looking to 2019-20 and beyond. Everything the smart fantasy owner needs is contained in those digital pages.

*

Elias Pettersson was skating before the optional game-day skate for the Canucks on Wednesday, and even skated with a few players during the optional. He did not play on Wednesday night, however. All the same, it appears he’s on the cusp of returning, which I’m sure is music to the ears of many a fantasy owner.

*

Peter Cehlarik was called up by the Bruins and skated on the second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk in the team’s game Wednesday night. This is important because it resulted in the healthy scratch of David Backes. I had hopes that Backes could flourish with a play-making centre and talented, young scoring winger but he’s simply floundered. Some of his play-driving metrics were strong as recently as last year so I don’t think he’s fallen off the map as a player. With that said, the 20-goal, 50-point seasons are long gone. If he can be a solid two-way, bottom-6 winger for the balance of his contract, I think that’s the best Boston can ask for.

*

It was announced last night that there would be no World Cup of Hockey in 2020. You hear that? That’s the sound of our next work stoppage stampeding through the gates.

*

The Ducks traded forward Pontus Aberg to the Minnesota Wild for forward Justin Kloos. Kloos has 80 points in his last 110 AHL games going back to the start of the 2017-18 season. You can read his Dobber Prospects profile here.

Here’s the thing with Aberg: Minnesota has a lot of talented wingers. There are the veterans in Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, Zach Parise, and Mikael Granlund. Luke Kunin has looked good since returning from injury and they’re really trying to make Jordan Greenway work. In other words, there is a lot of competition for Aberg. He also shot 14.3 percent at five-on-five with Anaheim, which is absurdly high, especially for a player of his calibre.

This is my best guess as to what happens. Aberg comes in and gets a middle-six role out of the gate. That lasts about two weeks, and then he’s pushed to the fourth line. After that, he becomes part of the rotation with guys like J.T. Brown and Marcus Foligno. If deep-league owners want to chase him, go ahead, but that’s the only instance I’d have interest.

*

Speaking of Anaheim, among other moves, they recalled prospect forward Troy Terry. That is a guy to keep an eye on, on the other hand. He’s been tearing up the AHL and has a lot of offensive tools the Ducks could use. Let’s see where they slot him, though, before getting too excited.

Patrick Eaves was sent on a conditioning assignment so he should be back in a week. Another guy to get excited over because he might slot right on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell.

*

Both Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg are going to be out in the near-term for the Ducks. We’re waiting for further updates.

*

William Nylander was back on a line with Auston Matthews in practice on Wednesday, along with Zach Hyman, while Andreas Johnsson moved up to skate with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Does that last? Only Mike Babcock knows, but this is where Nylander should have been all along. Let’s see what he can do with it.

*

Montreal forward Paul Byron was suspended three games for his charge on Florida defenceman MacKenzie Weeger. Byron had recently been skating on the third line for Montreal though their lines have been a bit in flux of late.

*

Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals in his first game back in the lineup following the birth of his son, a 5-2 win, and against Colorado no less. That gives his 20 goals and 45 points in 38 games this year. That also tied him with Aleksander Barkov in points over the last calendar year at 82 (though Duchene did it in three fewer games). Whether in Ottawa or elsewhere, he’s going to get a hefty contract.

Both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen managed multi-point games in the losing effort. Rantanen’s two helpers give him 50 assists on the season. He had 55 all of last season.

*

Sean Couturier scored a natural hat trick en route to the Flyers overcoming a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-3 win from the Bruins. Carter Hart shined, making 38 saves in the victory. Boston looked very good most of the night but sometimes one team cashes their chances and gets some saves, and the other doesn’t. Hockey.

Ivan Provorov had a pair of assists in the game, his first multi-point game since November 27th and just his third such contest of the campaign. I’m sure the Flyers, their fans, fantasy owners, and the defenceman himself were hoping for a better season this year. Let’s see what he does over the final 11 weeks of the season.

Peter Cehlarik scored two of Boston’s three goals in the loss. He skated the entire game on the second line with Krejci and DeBrusk, got secondary power play minutes, and even scored a six-on-five goal with Halak pulled, skating with their top line. You can read his Dobber Prospects profile here.

*

More in the morning. 

*

I was looking over the points per 60 minutes leaders since the start of the 2017 season yesterday for something unrelated to these Ramblings but came across some interesting names. All the names you’d expect are inside the top-25 but after that there are some guys we might not expect. Here are a few (minimum 1500 minutes).

  Nico Hischier (T-28th, 2.33 points/60 between Ryan Getzlaf and Phil Kessel)

Though Hischier’s production hasn’t been eye-popping with 84 points in 124 games, that is still a very solid total, especially for a player his age. The thing is, out of those 84 points, only 12 have come on the power play. It’s not a bunch of secondary assists boosting his scoring, either, as he’s 26th in the league in that span in primary points/60 minutes (goals and first assists), sandwiched between Jack Eichel and Sean Monahan. Playing with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri obviously helps, but almost no centre in the NHL can produce without talented wingers.

  Travis Konecny (T-35th with Sidney Crosby at 2.19 points/60)

Speaking of guys who produce good-but-not-great numbers because of a lack of power play production (and minutes)…

I understand that 24 points in 46 games isn’t a great fantasy campaign for Konecny owners, but he’s second among the team’s forwards in points/60 minutes this year, trailing only Claude Giroux. He’s also first among their forwards in shot attempts/60 minutes. And he does everything we look for in a player’s underlying metrics: drives the play, shoots, looks for exits/entries with possession, and knows how to find his teammates (from CJ Turtoro’s tableau):

He’s a burgeoning star. This is a guy fantasy owners who are currently way out of the league race should be targeting. You can probably get away with a very good roster player and a draft pick to get him. I would be at least inquiring. This kid is going to be a very, very good fantasy asset for the next decade.

  Alex Tuch (43rd in points/60 at 2.11, ahead of Blake Wheeler at 2.08)

Vegas is a team I really struggle with. Their top two lines, one of which Tuch is a part of, are incredible. I know the top line has struggled to score this year but that’s more luck than anything. The second line has been great, particularly when Brandon Pirri was there. But it’s not a situation where they’re given huge opportunities for success. For example, no forwards this year is averaging 19:30 of ice time per game, only two are over 19 minutes at all (William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault), and Reilly Smith is the only other guy over 18 minutes. They also spread out the power-play minutes, having 8 forwards within 2:06-3:00 in PPTOI/game. Without loads of ice time and heavy PP usage, can Tuch be a 70-point player? Well, the top line did it last year. Why not the second line this year (or in future seasons)?

Tuch is a very, very good real-life player and a very, very good fantasy option, particularly in leagues that count hits. He’s only 22 years old and has seemingly locked himself into top-6 minutes plus one of the power-play units. Maybe he doesn’t hit his true ceiling, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be very valuable in the fantasy game.

*

They didn’t play on Wednesday night but I wanted to take some time to discuss the Red Wings. In particular the current top line of Gustav Nyquist, Dylan Larkin, and Tyler Bertuzzi. I’m aware that they shuffled lines a bit in their Tuesday night game but it’s those three I want to review.

Larkin was one of my off-season favourites but then my actual projection had me rank him much lower than I had anticipated. Such is life. Anyway, he currently has 45 points in 48 games and he’s doing so with Detroit shooting under 6 percent with him on the ice at five-on-five. A high individual points percentage (over 85 percent) is keeping him afloat, but if that shooting percentage climbs over the final 30-plus games, he has more room for production growth. Imagine that.

Nyquist is up to 40 points in 48 games, tying his production for 2017-18 in 34 fewer contests. His 29 assists are the second-most of his career and he needs just eight more down the stretch to set a career high. He needs 15 total points to set a career high in that regard. He’s doing this while shooting 8.7 percent despite being a career 11.4 percent shooter heading into the year. His on-ice shooting percentage is more normal than Larkin’s at 9.1 percent and he’s currently sporting a career-high in secondary assists at five-on-five. Maybe he has some positive regression coming but don’t forget he’s a likely trade deadline candidate. He may not be in Detroit another month.

He’s bounced all around the lineup but Bertuzzi has apparently found a home on the top line with Larkin. He managed a hat trick over the weekend and currently has a career-high 25 points in 46 games. He’s getting about 30 seconds more ice time post-Christmas than he was prior and he’s shooting more, too, though he’s not at two shots per game just yet.

All told, all three players are having very good seasons individually. Together, they’ve been an excellent line for the Red Wings. That’s not hyperbole, either: in about 87 minutes together at five-on-five, adjusted for score, that trio is enjoying a 62.7 percent shot share. They aren’t wasting shots, either, as their high-danger shot share is over 58 percent. For the record, the only line over the last 1 ½ seasons with 400-plus minutes together sporting a shot share exceeding 60 percent was the old top line for Montreal of Phillip Danault, Brendan Gallagher, and Tomas Tatar. In other words, this Detroit trio has been absolutely sublime, though whether they could keep it up for hundreds of minutes is up for debate.

As I mentioned, this will, at best, only last another month or so until Nyquist is traded. All the same, if they’re skating together, they all deserve some consideration in most fantasy leagues. Maybe someone like Anthony Mantha can take up Nyquist’s mantle when he’s gone? Just some food for thought in your fantasy leagues.

Also, we need more league-wide hype for Larkin. This kid is blossoming into a superstar.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-aberg-traded-troy-terry-called-up-pettersson-traded-larkin-konecny-january-17/