Drew a Penalty

Absolutely. How many Dubinskys are left in the league? The Rangers missed Dubinsky the second they traded him.

As the guy who’s probably watched Othmann the most on this board, I want to make sure expectations are tempered when it comes to him. He’s a likable player and brings a unique skill set but there are evaluations out there that’ll have you thinking he’s more than what he is. If I had to give him a player comparable on the safe side, it’d be Dubinsky. It’s not an exact comparison, I think Dubinsky was naturally more aggressive and bombastic. Othmann is more of a rat and definitely has a shot that Dubinsky never had. Both of them have ugly strides, though, and mostly an average skill set. I think Othmann has more potential than Dubinsky because I do think he’s smarter and the shot is a big difference, but I’d keep Dubinsky as a starting point.

Hope y’all are prepping for some smoke. Especially you, @Kreiders Rider.

Are you two done flirting? Let’s get back to Lafreniere.

If you think Othmann plays like a buzzsaw then you’ve never spent any meaningful time watching him. Chase Stillman, a Devils prospect and Othmann’s linemate throughout the Memorial Cup, is a buzzsaw. Adam Sykora is a buzzsaw. Other things: Othmann does not kill penalties. I would not say he’s always moving his feet. He might be in some form of motion, like gliding, but he’s not running around the ice. He doesn’t have the speed, agility or conditioning for that. In the OHL he was cheating in some fashion to compensate for his speed, whether that was hanging to get ahead of the play, or sticking back to act as the trailer. I struggle to see him as being very effective on the rush in the NHL where there are players who will close gaps much faster. What do I consider high-energy? Someone who is always playing close to maximum energy. Someone who is always on top of play and ready to reload to attack again. A high energy player pushes the pace of play. That’s not Othmann. He can make plays that create energy, but he doesn’t have it in him to be a constant source of it. I will say this repeatedly, Othmann takes a far more measured approach to his game.

I think that’s actually a positive. Timmy’s sucks pretty hard now. He’s absolutely a Krispy Kreme convert.

Weird and inconsistent? Sure. A reason for him to want out? Absolutely not. It’s just something to fit the narrative that he “doesn’t want to be here” when there’s literally nothing to support that narrative. Might as well come up with fake grievances. Lafreniere doesn’t like NYC tap water! Lafreniere is afraid of the costumed foreigners in Times Square! Lafreniere is confused that they don’t speak French at Au Bon Pain!

Othmann is not a high-energy player. He’s engaged, but he’s not at all high-energy. He’s intelligent and often looking for whatever way he can make himself useful in any given scenario. He’s not throwing himself around and attacking with speed. He’ll finish a check if it’s there. He should absolutely see AHL time. Othmann needs to figure out how he can play into the physicality of pro hockey, as well as just functioning at pro speed. He got away with a lot of hanging in the OHL that won’t fly in NHL play. Transition is my biggest concern with his game, his skating is missing that extra gear.

Um…okay? @Pete

Phil: Gets rid of the Hot Chicks Thread. Also Phil: Posts what might as well be the most explicitly pornographic scenario I’ve seen on this board.

Yeah, sorry, it’s not just Pete. It’s absurd to me to insinuate that Lafreniere would be a flight risk because he doesn’t get to answer questions in French for locker room interviews. You’re telling me that outweighs all of the positives that being in the Rangers organization provide him? Does he seem at all like a depressive? You’re looking for controversy where there is none. I guarantee that fans want Lafreniere moved elsewhere more than he personally does. He’s comfortable. Too comfortable.

Nope. They’re all thirsty AF lol. I got to celebration at the camp, which is typically where the romancing options are supposed to initiate unless your approval is high enough, and I had every single character slinging at me. Even Karlach who I had just saved right beforehand was offering.

“Shadowheart disliked that.” F8

So be careful on that tower. If you long rest too many times before taking a certain action, it will have some pretty big consequences depending on how you want your run to go. More clarity below in spoilers if you don’t mind:

For those playing BG3, who are you running as your companions? Almost always in my party: Shadowheart – Bae + Healing Main rotation: Lae’zel – The amount of attacks she can make in a single turn is ridiculous. I built her pretty tanky and gave her an item to up her dexterity to add some range. She’s my go-to melee companion. Karlach – Kind of the same as Lae’zel but less range. I err towards Lae’zel because I built her better with HP, range, and number of moves in a turn. Wyll - Hungers of Hadar go brrrrr. Otherwise he’s too niche for how I built him. But HoH is just a must. Gale - My biggest issue is that he’s squishy. I also accidentally started a romance path with him and he just keeps persisting despite me never returning interest. So that’s awkward. Have touched once in Act 2: Halsin – I probably just have no idea how to build a Druid because he’s useless AF to me. I literally just use him as storage for books, letters, and scrolls: Astarion – I’ve only brought him in during Act 2 once and it was because of a specific character interaction I didn’t want to miss. Otherwise, he’s redundant given that I’m also a rogue. He’s only of use if I need to cheese hiding and sniping.

That fight was a breeze for me, I think I just had my entire party accidentally placed well in the room, but others have been wackier or near impossible without a different approach.

Trivigno is a guy I see as a dark horse. His numbers were unspectacular in Hartford but he’s better than the numbers imply. Speed, jam, skill. He’s not really someone whose development you have to worry about. He’ll be one of the last cuts. I’d throw Henriksson into the mix here too. He’s a worse skater and less skilled, but he was one of Knoblauch’s soldiers all year long. I think a defensive center stands more of a chance to make an impression than an offensive type at the moment.

I’d move anyone not named Fox for him. He’s that good.

It’s wild how quickly you lose track of time in BG3. Fights can be the worst if they go on for a while or you need a few tries to get them right. I fudge a lot though so I’m not exactly doing things that more capable and knowledgeable players would do. Being away from my PC for 2 weeks has allowed me to read up on some better strategies. Whether I implement them is another story. I’m somewhere in Act 2. Not sure how much I have left but I feel like I breezed through a lot from leveling in Act 1.

Ryan Lindgren with 36 points. (+18).

Puckdoku Game 44 - 9/9: 3 Uniqueness https://www.puckdoku.com

Puckdoku Game 42 - 9/9: 17 Uniqueness https://www.puckdoku.com

The worst thing the stupid ass QMJHL did was have a season during Covid. Cuylle got to benefit from an exception that should’ve been extended to Laf.

This. Some truck driver from Estonia who just started playing hockey five years ago will score 30 on Crosby's wing.