#bc without power what is he? even when he was vegas from the minor family ... he was still Someone.

[taikanyohou]

“Would you stop saying that you’ve got nothing left?” VEGAS + PETE + MACAU | KinnPorsche (2022).

[agendratum]

you mentioned that you find Vegas and Porsche fascinating so now bear with me and hear my proposal... the one who has the most flavor yet you really gotta read between lines to see it... KinnPete.

like I'm pretty sure that Kinn is platonically in love with Pete. He's just... so fond of him? Literally going out of his way to make sure he's safe during shooting in ep 14 tho Pete's his bodyguard and it's his job to put his life at risk? Worrying whether he is okay tho his literal lover is lying on his tits in ep 11??? And like I found it interesting that Porsche didn't worry at all about Pete and kept telling Kinn to stop worrying which I thought was maybe bc he was jealous?

and like Pete is definitely Kinn's type he's just walking around looking like THAT and Kinn, the biggest man whore, still doesn't fuck him??? He's platonically in love with him and would rather just keep Pete close to himself than fuck him and risk that Pete would quit the job.

sorry it took me so long to reply! i've just been thinking about it cause, like, i'm not sure we have the same vision of kinnpete, dear anon, which is totally ok and fine, but i do find their relationship fascinating in their own way

(also i don't really like taking that scene from ep 11 into the account, cause both porsche and kinn are being very DUMB in it, i'm pretty sure porsche wasn't thinking with his brain in it, and kinn was trying to think with his brain but was still failing for the exact reason of his literal lover lying on his tits. i'm a firm believer that if porsche really knew the situation, he would be way more worried about pete)

but back to kinnpete. the number one fascination point for me is always how much trust kinn has in pete. kinn who allegedly trusts no one, trust pete the most of all the other characters on this show, at least as i see it. he trusts him to protects the most valuable people in his life, he trusts him with his back, he trusts him to not be bought by the minor family and to not be intimidated by vegas. he obviously knows pete enough to not see him as just some fool, knows how well he works with people (like how he signaled him to take porsche outside in that scene from ep 3, trusting him to calm porsche down).

and pete is, dare i say, a little bit of a fanboy when it comes to kinn? or maybe not even a little bit, like he was so happy when he got reassigned to kinn, he was beaming (he would come to regret this reassignment a little bit, oh pete). pete, being all-knowing as he is, remembers kinn before the heartbreak, before his trust issues got so much worse. pete knows how kinn can be with his people, knows that he cares. yes, kinn is scary big mafia boss, but with him you don't have to worry that you'll just be another asset to be wasted. there is respect, there is fascination and the trust is definitely mutual.

and yet, they only know each other on the very surface level. and they aren't exactly the ones who would be capable of getting any further with each other. there is a power imbalance, always present. or rather, it was present through the entire time they knew each other until the end of ep 14. that's why, if there is season 2, i would love to see them interact as them, kinn and pete, not as khun kinn and the perfect bodyguard pete. cause what would that even look like?

i would love to see them having to work together for whatever reason, the four of them. and both vegas and porsche getting to see just how well kinn and pete work together, with each other. because they knew each other for years, worked together for years, they know each other's moves, what the other one like. like a perfectly adjusted mechanism. pete understands kinn without words, knows what he needs to do, and kinn can trust him to be exactly where he wants him to be, the process is perfected at this point.

and there is a little sting for both vegas and porsche, but also, also, maybe things changed, maybe they shifted. especially when it comes to pete. because pete knows, expects kinn in a situation where he has to choose between him and porsche to protect porsche, he's fine with it. but at some point kinn expects pete to do something, to be somewhere, and pete is not, because pete is by vegas' side, more attuned to him now, he's his partner now. and it's a bit sad, just a bit, cause the things will never be the same again.

and i would also love to see them be on the opposite sides. in a situation where pete has to point his gun at kinn, because he's protecting vegas, because he's protecting their little family, because he's not going to let anything stand between them and their fragile happiness. and if that means pointing his gun at kinn, then so be it. and kinn, he cannot, he cannot point his gun at pete because it's pete god damn it. it's their pete.

[undcrstands-blog]

»  laura harrier, cisfemale, thirty.  →  sophia oliver, the escort within the mancini syndicate, has a solid reputation for being manipulative & vindictive. catch her on a good day, you might find they’re also empathetic & generous. regardless of their connections, floor length silk robes && softly hummed lullabies always makes this reticent come to mind.  ✎ cassie, est, 21, she/her.

hello hello! my name is cassie and i’ll be writing for sophie (laura harrier) and for jackie (diane guerrero). i’m super excited to get to know all of you and your muses! these intros are probably (hopefully) gonna be pretty brief but should give you a decent idea of what my ladies are like, so if you’d like to plot just give the posts a like or shoot me a message! aaaand without further ado, here’s sophia oliver:

sophia oliver was born in paris. her mother was french and her father was an american soldier in wwi who’d fallen in love with her. he’d saved up all his money to return to her and, what do you know? she waited for him.

she has an older half brother (her mother’s son) who she was really close with until he moved to new york and found himself involved in some less than legal things and he cut off contact.

her parents moved the family back to the us when she was thirteen and they settled into a small home in portland, oregon. things weren’t super pleasant since they were a mixed race family but they didn’t have a ton of problems as their neighbors were generally more progressive.

sophie was definitely a dreamer. she had her head in the clouds most of the time and developed an adoration of music and literature and art that carried on into adulthood.

she got engaged to her high school sweetheart at seventeen and was married at eighteen. it wasn’t long after that he moved her down to las vegas so he could be closer to his sister. she wasn’t happy with the decision but she didn’t have much power in the relationship and she definitely wasn’t the one bringing in money so she didn’t really have a choice.

vegas isn’t a good place for weak men. by the time she was twenty three she was a widow and deeply, deeply in debt to the mancini organization. she knew her parents wouldn’t have enough to help her, her brother was mia, and there was no way she could go home and show her face after everything. she knew she was attractive and she could play a role and that’s how she ended up becoming an escort. she struck a deal, portions of her earnings would be taken away to pay off her late husband’s death, and the rest she could use to build a life for herself. 

she has a very soft voice and her accent still curls her words a little bit. she’s gentle and quiet and that often leads people into a false sense of security with her. she’s extremely good at extracting information from people who buy her for an evening bc she comes off so sweet and airy.

she can actually be very conniving when she has to be.

she paints and writes poetry in her free time and has a habit of humming her favorite ballads to herself when she’s doing minor tasks.

she has a cat named lune.

possible connections:

clients

someone who pays her extra to get information on certain people

a neighbor or roommate

friends

someone who loved her but she didn’t love back (or vice versa)

someone who she’s conned information out of

love interests or romantic relationships of any kind

someone who knew her when her husband was alive

definitely up for brainstorming too!!

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: May 21-25, 2019 + Thoughts on Upcoming Books

High School Story: Class Act Chapter 15:

The greenhouse is so pretty that I can stare at it for minutes and not get bored. Oh, how I wish I have a place like that. Anyway, I spent diamonds on the terrarium because I'm curious about it and wonder how it will be used in the next book. Pity I couldn't spend time with Skye as a result, though it's not like I have enough diamonds either way. Anyway, let's see how the tour to Europe in Book 3 will turn out. As long as it doesn't involve disrespecting the local culture, though. Man, I'm so glad this book is done. The student election drama is so darn boring, with a weak progression in the storyline. If it wasn't for Skye, I would've lost my cool. She's the only saving grace of the story, and I'm glad I get to be official with her. Wishful Thinking Chapter 7:

I don't care much about the power outage thing, though I'm glad Jaime came to help things out. What frustrates me is the premium option to spend time with a minor character with a recycled model, so hard pass, Tony. Can I punch Alec now? He's being nothing but unreasonable, only getting MC's ideas when there's something in it for him? His behavior towards Jaime is just... ugh. As for Ellen, I need a heart-to-heart talk with her and call her out on her pride as well as reprimanding her for sabotage and theft. Note to self: buy that premium option to follow her. A Courtesan of Rome Chapter 18:

Man, it's been so long since I last played ACoR! I never thought I missed it. I know the middle chapters are weak because of their emphasis on romance over espionage, but I still had fond memories of how badass the MC and her family are. Anyway, let's get to it, shall we? I literally agonized over the choice to free Victus or Syphax, especially since I like them both, and Syphax is my MC's love interest. I really wanted Victus to reunite with the rest of his family, but because I also roleplay my MC, I wonder what she would do in that situation. For now, I picked Syphax, and Victus said that she and Syphax are the future of the tribe, which shook me speechless. I feel like Victus is willing to make way for the future generation. Finally Cingerix shows up, albeit as a legionary. I understand his frustrations at his situation, but time can't be turned back. I cringed at the options to be harsh towards him when playing as Delphinia. Threesome with Caesar and Cleopatra? Sounds interesting, if only I have the diamonds. I'm not surprised the MC didn't kill Caesar with poison, because he died by stabbing. What's interesting is how she'll deal with meeting her brother again. Nightbound Chapter 6:

Once again, I'm at the mercy of idiots, or more specifically werewolves who refuse to see reason. If it wasn't for Katherine, Nik, and Cal saving MC's ass, they would've been dead. About time Vera shows up, and I should've known that she's taking care of Kristin at the hospital. Seriously, I respect her for that. Here's hoping she shows up more. Speaking of showing up more, that should also apply to Krom, Garrus, and Ivy. My ever-supportive pit crew needs more love than the story provides. I need to tag them along with MC throughout their misadventures, badly. Is it just me, or does this story have a slow pacing? I wonder when the next monster tear will appear. Passport to Romance Chapter 11:

Not much I could say in this chapter because there's not much going on in the airport. The outfit's tacky, Ahmed's suggestion to have a trolley race is stupid, and I couldn't afford to invite Sumire to the lounge. Honestly, Elliot never ceases to annoy me. His family owns an airline, and he waited until the next day to use it to provide his friends a flight on a private plane? What is wrong with this guy? Can he just set his grudge against his brother aside? And what does Elliot even do for a living aside from mooching off his brother? Open Heart Chapter 15:

Seeing Aurora and hearing about her struggles of being the Chief of Medicine's daughter makes me want to give her a hug. She needs to cry the stress out of her. It's definitely bad that she had to put up with sycophants like the ones seen earlier in the story, and I'm glad I finally get to comfort her. At the same time, I'm sick of being forced to hate her for most of the time. Sure her aloof behavior isn't helping matters, but the MC should also get off their high horse. She Nevertheless, her story is far from done, and I want to see what decisions she'll make. Not to mention that I'm willing to give her the chance to be nice to her fellow interns, not just towards patients. Every time I see a choice to act mean to Aurora, I cringe. Getting the help of the senior physicians was fine, though I hated the outfit, so I didn't bother buying it. Since the physicians have a neutral opinion on the MC, it makes sense to encourage them to testify without any bias. As much as I respect Ethan for his skills, he's too biased in favor of the MC, especially since mine just hooked up with him. On MC's little talk with Landry as he moved out, the part where Landry said the competition's going to come down to him and the MC annoyed me. He didn't regret sabotaging the MC, but justified the reason he did it in the name of competition instead. Jackie nailed it in the previous chapter, when she said she wanted to reach the top spot fair and square. It's one thing to stay in the competition. It's another to sabotage another competitor and put patients at risk of misdiagnoses in the process, all because of a petty desire to suck up to Ethan. Even if it wasn't his goal to do the latter, it shows horrible judgement on his part that deserves to be censured. I won't forgive him for this, especially when the narrative wants us to forget about it. Bloodbound Chapter 2:

Scholar Jameson really creeps me out when he talked about the MC being a Bloodkeeper, which sounds like he and Gaius are using her to free the First Vampire and usher in an era where vampires will enslave humans. Ugh... At least the new lore stuff got me hooked, even when I failed to get Gaius to reveal my plans. I'll replay this chapter someday. Great, the portrait fragment system is back, and this time it focuses on Rheya. I wouldn't be surprised if she's the First Vampire. If so, that's kinda underwhelming. I expected the figure to be super old, but Rheya dates from the 8th Century BC (800-701 BC), which means there are ancient civilizations that predate her. I was confused when MC suddenly wakes up in the same room she was found in, only to be woken up by the love interests. I mean, yay they came to the rescue, but that left me wondering about the whole scene. And double yay at Lily for her tech savvy! Since the next chapter involves going to Vegas, this probably means there won't be a cameo appearance of Grant Emerson, which I anticipated. Oh well. I hope the cameo is a fun one. More Thoughts on Platinum:

After reading the summary for the second chapter, I groaned that this story will most likely feature a female rival I'm forced to hate, a problematic cliché Pixelberry loves using just to encourage players to vilify women and girls as rivals. This is a worrying trend that should stop, especially because what PB writes is sometimes influenced by fan reception, which always distorts the writing of characters and fails to provide meaningful commentary. It reeks of narrow-minded superficiality that reflects badly on players and writers alike. At least it was funny to see the OH female MC models recycled to the point that it could pass for an alternate universe where her medical license is revoked, and she chose a different career path. This won't hold water for me because my OH!MC's male, though they might as well be relatives. Red Carpet Diaries Book 3:I'm still angry that RCD gets a third book after the fiasco that is the second book. I'll just play this book for free diamonds and a few characters I like.

[rpsidebloghell]

My last post got me thinking, have I ever introduced you all to my Novel’s characters? Bc I can’t even begin to explain to you how much I love them all so let me break down who they are. (Art isn’t 100% how I picture them but still awesome, commissioned the art like a year ago to help someone raising money for their dog bc of doggo health issues they couldn’t afford)

Elisabeth is the main pov character for the story and the one with the blue as red steaks in her hair. (not always there, done with hair chalk.) And she is a slightly over enthusiastic extrovert(when awake) who loves her dumbass dorky guardians like they were actually family. She also likes to goad Desmond into piggy back rides and usually fails and just jumps on Phoenix’s back and will give people the dirtiest look ever if people as if her and Desmond are dating because “no??? We grew up together??? He’s practically my brother and I’d sooner eat a live chicken????” Elisabeth is NOT the hero of this story, idk she’s just the one who stood out to me for pov bc she would be there for basically all of it bc of Aqua and Phoenis but like, plot is driven by the Elemental Advisors which btw is the name for the novel.

Desmond is Mr. I’m Gonna Wear A Ring Around My Neck Instead Of On My Finger BC I Can. He is literally the definition of an optimist, he prefers to believe that things will turn out fine until proven wrong and even then he’s someone who thinks every thing happens for a reason. He is just as disgusted as Elisabeth if anyone mistakes them as a couple but is better at hiding that then he and will usually just correct them and be like “no we’re just best friends!”. He legit has to drag his guardian out of caves sometimes when he gets into a depressed and brooding mood and once found him napping as a dragon and got Phoenix to do it instead bc “??? Dude I don’t wanna get stepped on and your more durable than me???” Draco has been a guardian to people in his family for generations upon generations, having met a young boy wanting the desert an spending 9 years helping him find his family before deciding he didn’t feel right leavin him behind. So he formed a guardian bond with him and has had one with 1 member of the family at any given time since, though there are sometimes gaps well e waits for a member to e born that he wants to form a connection with or as he tries to find someone in the family that he wants to make a guardian bond with and they with him.

Elisabeth as Desmond are both human beings from the planet earth(or mostly in Elizabetha case but???? That’s more plot centered than character which I’m nothing getting into RN)

Aquarius is the one with the blue hair and elf like ears, and honestly if it wasn’t for her neither one of her dork Elemental advisor partners would get anything done when together because Phoenix just finds it to fun to annoy Draco out of his quietness. She along with Drago and Phoenix are 3 of the 5 Elemental advisors to their king, and also spirits of the constellations of the same names. There is a whole big “Star Spirit Race” lore thing I could get into but YOLO not gonna RN. She is the physical embodiment of the star spirit of Aquarius(best way to explain without getting in depth is its roughly how gems physical form works in Steven Universe but also somewhat different??) and has powers over water and healing. She’s with Phoenix an exclusive though their commitment isn’t a permanent thing yet(which is rare with start spirits bc cause of how long they are around) and at one point when younger she and Draco had a brief relationship. She’s pretty close with the ‘elder’ advisors Perseus and Antila as well, she very much enjoys training with all of her fellow advisors in power combination and always enjoys getting their opinions on an idea that she had involving this. Free time tends to be spent letting herself drift and sink and float on any large body of water she can find.

Phoenix is the dude with the flamey hair and for the most part a giant dork who loves to annoy his best friend and future leader of the advisors Draco, who usually proceeds to try and lift himself away from the annoyance on a column of earth. He however can be a bit F a hot head at times, though it’s only ever once gotten out of control. When Draco’s wife and Polaris’(“King” of the star spirits) half human love child who they’d all come to see as a trusted friend turned evil and went crazy(legit not her fault, her human brain couldn’t cope with immortality) he lost control an Mt. Vesuvius erupted and he destroyed Pompeii and stayed their in isolation not talking to anyone or like 10 years till his mentor (Constellation Leo) got him to leave to help his depressed AF bff. He still feels terrible about what happened and will get broody whenever the city is mentioned. He Phoenix has always had a thing for Aquarius, however he never really said anything until somewhat recently by star standards-about 300 years ago. That’s a minor part in their history together though an they didn’t get together right away anyway so u won’t get in depth any more than I did in with Aqua’s blurb. His powers are pretty obviously fire related but??? He can morph into a Phoenix form as well.

DRACO, my god I had to save this broody little bitch last bc I’ll prob just keep babbling about him. Draco is my self created problematic fav. He is the next leader of the advisors as decided by Perseus, Antila and Polaris. (though TBH Aqua was a close second till se made it known she had no desire to actually lead when the debates about who would be the next leader were going on) He is also such a fucking broody little both these day, okay. Sorry back on track. Part of the reason for him being chosen as an advisor in the first place was his raw power, he has powers over both dirt and dirt like substances and plant life, can shift Ito a dragon and has naturally enhanced strength due to the dragon part of him. All this and he sill can’t stop his wife from going mad from immortality. OKAY OKAY SORRY BACK ON TRACK AGAIN.

Draco was trained in his ability a of Earth by Taurus and Plant life by Libra, later on by Perseus in leadership. He ended up close to ad old friend with Phoenix and Aqua before all the shit happened that made him a broody little bitch. When Phoenix volunteered for and left on an extended mission with Antila he and Aqua grew closer without Phoenix there, they had a brief relationship that had dwindled out naturally after a couple centuries-something not uncommon with their people. After Polaris’ daughter Vega was born the advisors were made her teachers an protectors, it wasn’t until she was nearly 30 the feelings shifted from that for Draco but there with the issue of lifespan and Vega not wanting to start somethings for the sole reason of not wanting to die on him. Eventually with the help of Aquarius and Pisces they found the solution of taking a small part of some stars energy force and replacing it with her own, though not enough for them to really notice. It worked and she was now basically immortal and they could live on happily every after for a thousand year before she went mad and he and she became committed to one and other after a couple centuries and they had matching sets of silver and gold bracelets to signify that except it didn’t last and she went crazy bc her brain wasn’t meant to handle that long of a life.

Because of her threat but neither Draco or Polaris wanting her to die she was sealed away(with help from the constellations Cepheus and Cassiopeia and guarded by Cetus lolololol couldn’t resist the Greek Myth reference bc I’m a dork) until they could find out how to fix the problem of her going mad and then Draco brooded in a cave for a few centuries before meeting Desmond’s ancestor and he wears Vega’s bracelets that he left behind when he refused o help her crazy self along with his own and basically just wonders why existence is so cruel and how to get Vega back to herself even if she still chooses not to be with him bc he’d rather a universe where she was truly herself and not driven mad but not with him than a universe where she is locked away for eternity as sill not with him. He just wants a universe where Vega is truly Vega and not some deranged version of herself driven mad by immortality.

EDIT: Legit 100% only because of her healing abilities that Aqua doesn't have scars like the boys even though she repeatedly tells them to come to her for healing when they are hurt and gives them a death glare when se realized thy have once again not done this each ad every time.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: The Price is Back, Ovie Calls His Goal (Nov 26)

The Price is Back, Ovie Calls His Goal, Wild Bill Strikes Again, plus more…

Carey Price, the pride of Williams Lake (BC) minor hockey, finally returned to the Canadiens’ lineup on Saturday, and it couldn’t have gone any better. Price stopped all 36 shots he faced in the Canadiens’ 3-0 win over Buffalo. If the Habs happen to make the playoffs, Price’s return might be the season’s turning point.

The shutout bid appeared to have ended in the final minute of the game when Evander Kane scored, but the goal was waived off due to goaltender interference.

The time off appeared to give Price the mental health break that he needed, as he had struggled mightily before his lower-body injury (3-7-1, 3.77 GAA, .877 SV%). Your window to buy low on Price will have closed a little with this shutout, while current Price owners will be relieved that this start wasn’t a continuation of the first month of the season. Activate Price if you haven’t already.

*

When a player promises a young cancer survivor a goal, you have to pull for that player. So when that player scores three goals, then it turns out to be a night to remember. Alex Ovechkin posted his third hat trick of the season, scoring goals 16, 17 and 18 to pull into the goal-scoring lead.

In one of my head-to-head leagues, I was facing a team with Ovechkin this week. This team passed me in goals because of the Ovie hat trick. Disappointed? Nah. What a great moment for both Alexes. This is a reminder that there are things more important in life than fantasy hockey. Like family. And your health.    

You can bet that every @ovi8 goal tonight was in honor of Alex Luey. #HockeyFightsCancer pic.twitter.com/elc8zLUqbD

— NHL (@NHL) November 26, 2017

*

Waiting is hard, but we knew it would eventually happen. Matt Duchene scored his first goal as a Senator on Saturday, which happened to be a power-play marker. Never mind not scoring a goal – Duchene had not even recorded a point in his first seven games as a Senator and was a minus-10 over that stretch to boot.

It’s not as though icetime was the problem, as Duchene is up an average of nearly two minutes per game since the trade, much of which is power-play time. And he had more shots on net (24) in seven games as a Senator than he had in 14 games as an Av (23) – up nearly two shots per game. These numbers suggest that Duchene’s early struggles with his new team won’t continue. There should still be an opportunity to buy low.

Still don’t agree with me? Here’s some analytics backing up a Duchene turnaround, from theScore.

*

Petr Mrazek was removed due to concussion protocol during Saturday’s game. After the game he said he felt fine but had trouble breathing at one point (Detroit News). That doesn’t sound good.

I didn’t even know David Booth was still in the NHL. But he scored twice for the Red Wings on Saturday.

*

Jonathan Toews scored a goal and added two assists with a plus-2 in over 20 minutes of icetime in the Hawks’ 4-1 win over Florida. This was Toews’ first three-point game of the season. He hasn’t scored many goals recently (just two goals in his last 16 games before Saturday), but neither have many of his teammates.  

Sharp: 0G in 15 games. Panik: 0G in 12 games. Keith: 0G in 21 games. Schmaltz: 1G in 17 games. Saad: 1G in 15 games. Hartman: 1G in 13 games. Toews: 2G in 16 games. "You think about it all the time." Story: https://t.co/Esfu3635CR pic.twitter.com/jHxsHCgPef

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) November 25, 2017

*

Remember last month when the Lightning spanked the Penguins to the tune of 7-1? Well, the Penguins turned the tables on Saturday, scoring three power-play goals in a 5-2 win. Sidney Crosby scored two power-play goals and added an assist, while Phil Kessel scored two goals and added two assists. Crosby has six points in his last three games, while Kessel has seven goals in his last nine games. Overall the Penguins might be a tired team from back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, but so far these guys have been fine.

Tristan Jarry made 33 saves to earn his first NHL win in his fourth NHL start. The Penguins play more back-to-backs than any other team this season (19), so he should see plenty more spot starts.

*

Jonathan Marchessault scored an empty-net goal and added two assists in yet another victory for the Vegas Golden Knights. Marchessault should be in the running for player of the week honors, as he has posted three consecutive games of a goal and two assists, along with a plus-5 over that span. And he’s scoring at over a point per game (21 points in 19 games). So Florida couldn’t find room for this guy?

Marchessault’s linemate Wild Bill, aka William Karlsson, scored his 13th goal of the season and added an assist. He’s also producing at a point-per-game pace (22 points in 22 games) and has – count ‘em – five consecutive two-point games, with seven of those ten points in the form of goals. In fact, only Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, John Tavares, and Sean Monahan have more goals than Karlsson in 2017-18 at the time of this writing.

Not trying to undermine all the fine work this site does, but the Dobber Fantasy Guide projected Karlsson for 29 points… all season. But I don’t think there was anyone on earth that thought he would be anywhere close to fantasy relevant, even with the possibility of greater opportunity with a new team. Just like no one thought the Vegas Golden Knights would be in first place in the Pacific Division in late November.

Is Karlsson for real? Well, he’s currently shooting at a 25.5 percent clip. This from a guy who shot at an average of 7 percent over his past two seasons in Columbus. To put that into perspective, no one who played at least 35 games last season shot higher than 23 percent. So you might think you know where this is going, but hold on a moment.

We can say that Karlsson is a far more dangerous player in his present situation than his past one, with better linemates (Marchessault and Reilly Smith compared to Matt Calvert and Josh Anderson in Columbus) and an increase in icetime of nearly five minutes per game, much of which is power-play time. So expect a minor dropoff sometime, but not to the point where he’ll fall off a cliff completely. Every season has its surprises, and Karlsson qualifies as one for the 2017-18 season.

*

Steve Mason left Saturday’s game against the Sharks after the first period with an upper-body injury. Mason allowed two goals on 13 shots before departing.

*

I found the players chosen in this week’s Cage Match to be particularly interesting. A red-hot Anders Lee faced a more proven option in Logan Couture. Even though Lee has picked up where he left off last season (12 goals in 23 games), it’s difficult not to pick Couture at the moment. Couture scored two goals of his own on Saturday, passing Lee with a Sharks-leading 13 on the season. With Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, and Joe Thornton all experiencing downturns in production, Couture also leads the Sharks in points (19 points in 22 games). Where would the Sharks be without Couture?

Martin Jones stopped all 38 shots he faced in the Sharks’ 4-0 win over Winnipeg. Keep an eye on Jones’ status, as multiple reports suggest that he was working through some kind of lower-body injury.

*

With Eddie Lack waived earlier this week, David Rittich made – and won – his first NHL start for the Flames, stopping 24 of 26 shots. The Flames appeared ready to bring him up, as he had posted a 5-1 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in the AHL. Don’t expect him to make more than the odd spot start, though, as Mike Smith is on pace to start over 70 games. But there’s always the concern that Smith is overworked to the point that he gets injured.

With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Mikael Backlund has 10 points (2g-8a) over his last 10 games.

*

Don’t mess with Kevin Bieksa. Part of me wishes he still plays for the Canucks.  

Kevin Bieksa with the one-hit KO pic.twitter.com/6VuolIEcQi

— Yahoo Canada Sports (@YahooCASports) November 26, 2017

If you didn’t stay up late, you may not have realized that Ryan Miller was a minute and a half away from a shutout in his return from an upper-body injury. As a John Gibson owner, I was relieved that Gibson wouldn’t be starting the second of back-to-back games. Gibson has been barraged with shots recently, averaging nearly 42 saves per game over his last four games.

In fact, no team has faced more shots than the Ducks this season (36.6 SA/GP). The Ducks were 10th last season in fewest shots allowed (29.6 SA/GP). There’s no doubt that the injuries have played a factor.

Speaking of which, I’m sure there have been countless tweets from the Anaheim Ducks’ account that have started with the words “INJURY UPDATE.” Including this recent one on Rickard Rakell:  

INJURY UPDATE: Randy Carlyle said Rickard Rakell will not travel will with the team for the remainder of the road trip.

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 26, 2017

The Ducks’ road trip is five more games, so prepare to be without Rakell next week and possibly the week after. So without Rakell in the lineup Saturday, Derek Grant and Chris Wagner both logged 22 minutes of icetime. With no Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and now Rakell, Grant and Wagner are essentially top-6 forwards for the Ducks.

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

from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-the-price-is-back-ovie-calls-his-goal-nov-26/