Exactly what I thought. Build us up, just to let us down.

Also, I hate the scapegoating of Marner. He’s a good player, played hard, and he hardly deserves all the credit for the loss. Nylander won’t back check. Matthews has also been non-existent in this series, worse than Marner. Holmberg has been invisible. Benoit and McCabe made terrible choices the last few games despite looking pretty good earlier in the playoffs.

The coach didn’t adjust well enough (or the player didn’t execute his adjustments). Everyone came out flat.

Why lose our hundred point per season player, one that actually plays defense, for everyone’s faults? That isn’t going to fix shit, and that’s what the team’s management needs to be saying, not just letting it all ride.

That’s why the problem; there’s no fucking accountability.

No team mentality. Everyone or no one. That should be the thought. And if you can’t buy into that, then you’re fucking gone.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1670 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: King Rat, China Mieville
Comics: Fathom: Cannon Hawke - Prelude 1, Fathom: Cannon Hawke 1-2, Aspen Seasons 2
Music: The Else, They Might Be Giants

I called it. Bounce back game, setting up what should be a spectacular meltdown in game seven.

Fuck.

EVERY. GODDAMN. YEAR.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1122 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Primrose Path, Bram Stoker (ugh, what the fuck is this shit?)
Comics: Fathom v2: Beginnings 1, Aspen Seasons 1, Fathom v2: Prelude 1, Fathom v2 0
Music: Ella Fitzgerald Essentials, Ella Fitzgerald

About last night’s game, the better.

Sheesh. Way to no show, pricks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs: failing in every big moment since 1967.

That should be their new slogan.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1363 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Comics: Fathom: Dawn Of War 1-3, Fathom: Dawn Of War - Cannon Hawke 1
Music: Elephant, The White Stripes

Let’s. Fucking. Go.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1155 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Comics: Michael Turner's Aspen 3, Fathom: Cannon Hawke 0, Fathom: Cannon Hawke - Beginnings 1, Fathom: Dawn Of War 0
Music: Electric Version, The New Pornographers

Doh. Not a great effort last night. Too many dumb penalties, too sloppy. You can tell they came out amped up, trying to be super aggressive and really put the hammer down on the Panthers, but were not focused enough to pull it off, and started doing stupid things.

If it wasn’t for Woll, that would have been a blowout. I know everyone was down on him the first couple of games, but gimme a break. Guy hadn’t played in almost three weeks, comes in cold, but he’s a terrific goalie. The only knock on him is that he’s injury prone. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best.

So, yeah. Can’t blame him for that one.

Take a ton of stupid penalties, make bad passes, have no net front presence, ineffective power play and no scoring chances until late in the third? Yeah, you’re lucky you got Woll.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1141 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today, Twain/Warner (it's over!  Not that it was bad, just very long and with a lot of loose ends.)
Comics: Fathom: Killian's Tide 3-4, Fathom 13-14
Music: Electric Ladyland, The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The ending, not the effort. I thought as a team, they played pretty well.

Some bad bounce goals, and Woll looking a little shaky. If Stolarz were in, this would be a three-oh series.

Hopefully, he’s back soon.

Also, what the fuck is Paul Maurice’s game plan? All I see Florida doing is trying to intentionally injure guys. I’m all for a hard-fought, gritty series, but come on. There was honour in guys standing up taking and giving hits, fighting, scrapping after whistles and shit.

There’s no fucking honour in cheap shots and intent to injure.

Back in the day, this team would have had the shit kicked out of it so hard for that crap, half those players wouldn’t even be in the league.

I used to respect Maurice, but this is disgusting. They’re losing, so try and injure the other team’s key players? He should be thrown out of the league.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1180 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today, Twain/Warner (more like a tale of forever, am I right?)
Comics: Fathom 9-11, 0
Music: Elastica, Elastica

Two up on the Stanley Cup Champs.

Even with Marchand causing a ruckus and Ekblad’s return.

Goddamn. Maybe this is the year.

Nah. Touch fuckin’ wood, you psychopath.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1203 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today, Samuel Twain Warner Clemens Von Mark
Comics: Fathom 1-4
Music: Eight Arms To Hold You, Veruca Salt (who doesn't love Volcano Girls?  I still have a thing for Louise Post.)

I mean, I hope not, because that probably means suspensions and injuries and we need everyone if we’re going to make it through this series and beyond, but you know it’s bad blood after the Bennett/Stolarz deal and Matthew Tkachuk trying to slew foot/slash/cross check Marner into an injury.

That’s the shit the league needs to crack down on. If it were any sort of fair league, the very first thing the refs would do is tell the Leafs not to retaliate, and then go to the Panther bench and tell Tkachuk, Marchand and Bennett that even the hint of bullshit out of them is going to get them tossed in the box all night long.

But they won’t. They’ll probably tell them when to do it, so they can pretend to look the other way. It plays out better on TV that way, if it looks like you just didn’t see it, even though it’s in the middle of the play you’re supposed to be watching.

Assholes.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1235 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today (and tomorrow, and probably the next day, at the rate it's going), Twain/Warner
Comics: Hawk And Dove v4 6-8 (god, I hate "re-imaginings" when the original source material is actually fucking great.  What a waste.)
Music: Educated Horses, Rob Zombie