Rangers 1, Senators 2. UPDATED

Carp will have his own game review later this morning and I’ll link to it once it’s posted.

Carp’s review can be found here. Just remember, he’s corporate now 😉

I thought we were just fine, other than the penalties and the penalty kill. Lundqvist was amazing. Kevin Hayes’ line (particularly Hayes) and Brady Skjei had tough games. I expect some lineup shuffling, most likely to get more minutes for Michael Grabner, who was far and away the best Rangers forward. That could also mean Pavel Buchnevich coming out of the lineup for Tanner Glass rather than playing on the fourth line.

My Three Rangers Stars:

  1. Henrik Lundqvist
  2. Ryan McDonagh
  3. Michael Grabner

Your Three Rangers Stars:

  1. Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh (tied)
  2. Michael Grabner

163 thoughts on “Rangers 1, Senators 2. UPDATED”

  2. On another note, the goal that went in was partly a result of Lundqvist being down in his reverse VH position. It completely covers the bottom part of the goal, but leaves high on the short side very open. So after the fluke bounce off of Stepan , the was a lot of space over Lundqvist’s shoulder for the puck to bank in off of his back.

    Here’s an article I had read earlier this year discussing the high short side in reverse VH:

    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fb5db25487a24564a39fa88a060cdeb6/short-side-goals-rise-shooters-adjust-goalies

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Good morning, boneheads!
    I thought they were fine too. Especially in terms of handling the trap. I didn’t think it was as difficult as it was expected. And I think their effort was fine. They weren’t mentally sharp, too many incomplete passes, and too many penalties. Ottawa had more chances, Hank kept them in. Rangers didn’t deserve to win, Hank kept them in, so it could’ve gone both ways. Anderson made a few very good saves too. Tune up game.
    I expect both teams to clean it up.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I’m not sure about lineup changes, Doodie. I wouldn’t. The fourth line of Fats-Lindberg-Grabner gave Ottawa fits last night. They now know they’re paying against a very deep team, once other lines put it together, Boucher will have trouble matching. Forwards and D-pair. Buchnevich was more than fine last night.

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  5. i dont want to hear about the freaking icing when the puck was in our end for 45 sec to a minute with multiple chances by stepan and nash to clear zone and they failed. outside of hank mcdonagh and grabner showing up the rest of the enigma forwards to wake the hell up. its getting late real quick around here. miller, stepan, hayes, im talking to you clowns

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  8. the other thing you cant allow 43 shots on goal from a team like ottawa. too much chasing the puck and not making enough plays when you have the puck.

    you watch the games at msg ottawa will get 18-23 shots on goal completely bore the game to death and wait for a mistake on the road

    Liked by 2 people

  9. First is overrated just ask the Caps. Without elite talent this team needs to out work it’s opponent every shift, every period, every game, or they will come up short, and that’s a simple fact. Relentless tenacity every game, they are not good enough to play any other way and win!

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  10. Doodie, both of the crappy-angled goals Hank’s given up have been because he is down in the reverse Van Halen. I wish he would stay on his skates, but how can you criticize him after the way he played last night. That goal was the result of the Rangers being the worst team in the NHL at clearing the puck when it is within 10-15 feet of the blue line.

    Game had a very mid-January feel to it. The boys just didn’t seem to have the urgency or oomph or whatever you want to call it. Not sure if the extra time off knocked their timing off or what. I would have liked to see them forecheck more and get a little more physical to try and get their mojo going.

    Surprisingly, I didn’t think the trap bothered them at all. They do need to tighten up the defensive responsibilities. I’d love to see our forwards actually cover the points like a real man-to-man scheme does, but they are going to continue to play zone and clog the quad.

    I hope AV doesn’t make any lineup changes. Glass for Buch is not going to help – especially as long as favorite Ottawa jackwagon is out of the lineup. I am not so sure extra ice time for Grabner is the way to go because I think he might have used up his quota of goals during the regular season.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Too many shots, too many penalties, too much reliance on Hank, too few finishes, too many passengers among our top 9 forwards, too little traffic in front of Anderson (who is sooo underrated imo), too little intensity. Ramp it up boys and give your goalie a break. He needs one…

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  14. All this chat about Lundqvist getting more focused on positioning himself so that a high shot from behind the blue line off a player and then the back of his head… um, it was a lucky goal. Hard to believe anyone’s even trying to put an ounce of that on the goaltender. The Rangers needed to score more than one goal, was the problem, and Anderson had a LOT to do with that.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Disagree with Ilb.. think the effort was lacking. Not in a Habs game 3 kind of lacking but, as someone else said, a mid-January kind of lacking. That remains unacceptable.

    I would not touch 4th line and Buch has played well enough (and seemed to given at least some amount of life to his linemates) to remain in. If I am pulling anybody, its Lazy Haze replaced by the Pirri (whirled peas?). If AV really wants to send a message, he can box Haze and Hated and put the Pirri+Pumpernickel combo in with the hobbit. I’d yank Stepan but that would probably send too many shockwaves.

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  16. for once i agree with norm. enough trying to break down the winner on how it got in. the puck should have been freaking cleared on more than one occasion. too many passengers up front. its the god damn 2nd round. this isnt freaking mid november

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Agree on lineup changes as Butch has been adequate, can’t remember any plays last night anmd Tanner still has more goals in the POs…
    .
    More importantly Haze and Miller need Grabber. It was the reg season’s HIGHEST scoring line which was broken up and has not been able to click since, that and Haze is another BC enigma.
    .
    Thought Staal and Girardi had good first periods and then progressively down hill from there. Shea Butter and Holden slightly better. McMonster was very good. Smith was OK. Henk superb and wasted effort in a loss. Not sure whey he isn’t facing the puck in the corner. Lucky play.
    .

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  23. Simple and aggressive is not what I saw last night. I saw game 5 and 7 of the lightning series. A team expecting the bounces would come if they played the right way, instead of playing the right way and creating those bounces by outcompeting and being hungrier than the other team.

    Geez, I hope Boucher dresses Chris Neil so the rangers find a reason to play pissed off. Want a reason to be pissed off, you lose to Ottawa and have your season ended bc you didn’t play with enough emotion and desire.

    Liked by 5 people

  24. Agree with Wicky (previous thread) need forecheck to be more energetic and effective. “PIN THEM IN” is what I write on the white board today.

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  29. Re post…bastage HAV 😉

    Late night, just finished dvr’d game. Will read game thread tomorrow. My thoughts…
    Not surprised they lost this one, didn’t deserve to win. Still say rangers in 5 😉
    –
    SkjeL has his worst game of playoffs.
    –
    I thought stampan played his best game of the playoffs (ducks)…until his game winner for the sens.
    –
    They were not physical enough on the forecheck, they looked like game 3 against mtl when they should have looked like game 1.
    –
    Hank was awesome, deserved better than a loss.
    –
    Mcdonut in beast mode all playoffs, good for him.
    –
    I voted shampoo boy, mcdonut, and smiff…in no particular order.
    –
    Night chuckleheads and LGR!!’

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  30. I thought last night’s game was really good, other than the outcome. So much skill, so much skating, so many grade-A chances, goalies standing on their heads, and, yes, 67 recorded hits. Both coaches will likely have heart attacks looking at the tape–open play offers no job security unless you have total faith in your players–and I would expect a much tighter contest next game. And I know giving the other team credit has gone out of vogue, but you have to admire that Senators forecheck and that goalie of theirs. Did not know much about Anderson until I read about his wife’s condition. I’ll be pulling for him the rest of the way if the Rangers can’t get past him.

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  34. Not selling out is shocking in Ottawa to me. Tuesday may not be a “must” win, but, losing the first two is not a road map to success. Hopefully more than Hank and McD show up for this one.

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  36. I’m with ILB – I wouldn’t sit Buch. Glass isn’t going to bring anything better. I also thought Holden had a really tough game, too, last night. If Grabs had scored just one of his three Grade A opportunities it’s a win last night. Tough way to lose, but Ottawa is eminently beatable.

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  41. Wicky–I’m sure he’ll agree with me–is out of his mind. We all are, or why would we write on this blog? But I agree Stepan was strong last night, especially in his own end where not a lot of his comrade forwards played that well. And he threw the body at least twice that I saw, pretty bigly.

    Liked by 1 person

  45. Carp, I get that, but AV typically shuffles after a loss, especially an uninspired one. And considering that Grabner was the best Ranger forward, and his former linemates were among the worst, I just think that line may get reunited, which means Zuccarello going up to Buchnevich’s spot. And if the choice is between Buch and Glass on the fourth line, I think AV goes Glass. He’s the Tim Duncan of coaching decisions. Always goes for the Glass.

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  48. rangers will be fine ..still could have wone …hit 3 posts and thought they were better 5 on 5…they need to stay out of the box because you never know what set of rules these morons will be calling from game to game

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  49. old time goaltenders stood to hug the posts. They also rarely had save percentages north of .900.
    =========
    So that was the reason they had high save %? Not the size of the pads, the D shot blocking and yes the better athletes in net.
    .
    Fluke goal – I blame Step 😉

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  50. Glass? really? relaaaaax. They were fine. They played like a team that had a few too many days off since their last game. Hard to come in cold and play with the fire they had in games 4,5,6 vs. the Habs. My only concern is that the top 9 still didn’t look great. Miller and Hayes were especially brutal again. Gotta love Hayes and the usual suspects by the time they got down to the 12 min mark of the third they just had to start attempting to beat guys one on one with stick work to gain the zone.
    One other thing if it hasn’t already been said- I think Craig Anderson is being grossly underestimated in this series. He’s a lot better than most are giving him credit for, he’s always played well against the Rangers and quite frankly, the man is playing with more than just hockey in his heart right now. We’ve seen first hand how powerful that can be. He may turn out to be the difference in this series.

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  53. I’m not saying the stand-up goaltending was better. It most certainly was NOT. I’m saying that particular shot now goes in because these guys play on their knees, which is why they’re all so good (and the XXXXXL equipment). Geez. The current GAAs are a product of the size and styles of today’s goalies.

    I also don’t think AV (or I, for that matter) think the Rangers’ effort was uninspired. That’s the optic of the 1-3-1. I thought they handled it well enough. But the top-nine forwards have to do more in the offensive zone once they get there, and the Rangers were there plenty. Hence, I don’t think Glass plays. But he does like to shake things up after losses.

    I guess when you bleed blue, it can look like a HA effort. I didn’t think it was.

    We’ll know shortly about the lineup. Rangers practice in Kanata at 1:30

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  57. Rangers in 5. Ah Two Roy (the Kaneta pronunciation) shan’t win another game. Hank is in the ozone of the D-zone. Rarified air. Haze, Milluh, and Kreider need to do more and be more. It’d help if Grabner could finish some of his chances. Dude gets at least one breakaway every game.

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  60. On the replay, Grabner’s shot looked closer than it did live but man oh man I don’t think I’ve ever seen another player that gets as many breakaways. When they go in they look pretty. when they don’t it’s ugly.

    Not sure what to make of Miller, Dood. Hayes is another one. Apparently he’s never going to learn that you can’t hold onto the puck as long as he’d like to in the NHL. Always looking for that extra move, extra pass or extra 1-2 seconds when the puck is on his stick. Maddening at times.

    Liked by 1 person

  61. C3, I said it just before about Anderson. He’s fueled by much more than hockey right now. That’s powerful stuff as we saw with Marty on our squad in the Cup final year.

    Liked by 1 person

  64. Blue, not blur..
    And I before I read it…Did you see what Karlsson said? He thought they played their best game so far. If that’s their best, they may win just one more….And Anderson will have to steal. Because I have no doubt the Rangers will raise their level significantly starting tomorrow

    Liked by 1 person

  65. It’s been two days and I cant stand Ottawa. Theyre really pushing this underdog card. Guy Doucher must have zero faith in his team… he said that’s the best game theyve played in the playoffs. If that’s the case, NYR are in great shape.

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  66. Who is JT playing with? Smokey and the Smurf? not exactly Graves and Verbeek on the wall. The one even strength goal the line scored in the last series was the yeoman effort by JT on the wall in the cycle. The guy who drew the penalty in the last minute? Could he doing more? Of couse. But one guy is not a line. Ask Nash…
    .
    Top 9 issues are center issues; Haze, Step, and Zika. Oscar and the 4th are paired against Ott’s 3rd pair D and getting chances.

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  68. Their needs to be more assertiveness of the top 9 in the offensive zone. Get pucks to the next and make plays.

    And no Stepan didn’t play well. Just look at the winner failed clear zone 2x

    If they go down to send a team we all know top to bottom better then more of these clowns need to go. 21 no trade kicks in July 1 just saying.

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  69. That had to be the most mundane, uninteresting game of the playoffs. Rangers were uninspired…

    And you guys think MsG crowd is lame?? Ottawa could use a friggin t-shirt toss or two… anything!

    I can’t wait until this series is over win or lose.

    Liked by 1 person

  70. Here for norm and wickey and who ever else. Per Stepan.

    Derek Stepan harshly and honestly self-evaluating his play: “I’ve stunk since the playoffs started. I’ve been not very good with the puck.”

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  71. I note the obsession as always with the so-called fancy-boy passes. But without those, there’s no beating the trap. I know there are a few of you who would like to see the Rangers dump the puck every damn time down the ice, but it won’t work–too predictable. You need a combination of dump-and-chase and carry-in, a combination of funneling shots through a screen and pass-pass-pass. A variety of approaches to keep the defense and goalie honest.

    Liked by 1 person

  74. The rangers handled the trap just fine and they pretty much had the advantage in play the entire game. It wasn’t a HA effect in the least. But I didn’t see the same nose for the net I saw from the forwards in the 2nd half of the Mtl series.

    Aside from the penatlies and the karlsonn goal sequence the rangers did everything right, they played as solid a game against the trap as you can-patient and everything- too patient and not enough drive and willingness to get the puck in the net.

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  75. Norm just so we are clear when I say fancy boy passing I’m talking about moments where the player in question has a clear shooting lane and opts to look for or attempt a pass. The crap Hayes does at times isn’t about “beating the trap” or anything other than looking for a Hail Mary or a perfect play. Neither of those accomplish squat as compared to throwing it at the net.

    Liked by 2 people

  76. And again, if you can carry on then so be it but when you’re skating 5 on 5 and you attempt to stick handle through two players instead of dumping it in or looking for a teammate it’s just irresponsible

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  79. We lulled price into a false sense of security on Zuccarello’s first goal in game 6.

    jpp, at the beginning of the game, Nash went to the net hard without the puck and I thought “alright! keeping it up!” I don’t know if he came within 5 feet of it for the rest of the game.

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  80. Stephan backer but he needs to pick it up for sure …if Oscar continues to play well do you think Rangers protect him instead and expose Stephan or move him for picks before no trade kicks in? Looking like Oscar may be able to assume some of those checking center responsibilities. Less offense but advantageous from a cap perspective.

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  81. Exactly, Carp. If there’s one thing they are consistently guilty of it’s getting in a situation where they need more scoring opportunities and instead of just peppering the goalie with shots from every angle and trying to get a deflection or or rebound or just to the net in general, they actually wind up creating LESS opportunities for themselves by looking for the perfect play. And they’re all guilty of it. Even the captain.

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  82. I guess you have to be the super duper amazing league of his own one of a kind world’s greatest Erik Karlsson to score from a bad angle. The mere mortals have to triple deke their way through 5 players do a spin-o-rama and throw a blind pass behind themselves even if they’re 15 feet away from the goalie with the puck on their forehand

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  91. Carp another stellar write up. So happy to have you reviewing the games again. I honestly feel that most of the forwards have nowhere to go but up so they have to be better the rest of the series. My real concern is if Henrik comes back down to earth for a game or 2. Not sure his present level is actually sustainable either physically or mentally. Hoping he has at least enough to give them a chance to break out of the scoring doldrums.

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  92. Whether they carry the puck in or dump it in, if they can’t finish, which appears to be the case, it won’t make any difference! They are all beginning to look like Brian Boyle around the net!

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  94. Éric
    Step, imho, played his best game this post season. Yes, his lack of clearing led to the winning goal, but I thought he played very well in the D zone for the rest of the game and I had to rewind the dvr 3 times to verify he through an actual hit on the forecheck (not an “ahem” hit that some random stats guy in an arena considers a hit because he bumped into a guy on a line change).
    –
    I absolutely still trade the guy before his clause kicks in though regardless of how he plays in the postseason.

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  98. So, tic-tac-toe, one-touch passing in the neutral zone to beat the trap (as well as the good skating RR notes) is not fancy-boy, but tic-tac-toe near the net is? If that’s what y’all mean, fair enough. But I still think there’s a bias here against goals attempted on the variously described wish pass or f-b pass, that when it works it’s a great pass, but when it doesn’t, it’s too fancy. Whereas any shot at the net that doesn’t work is OK because it might have worked? Don’t get me wrong–I love rebound goals, and I love it when Nash (a lousy passer) shoots from all angles to cause trouble in the crease. But I also have no problem when the passes don’t quite work either, that if it takes Hayes or the Z-boys or Step a few tries to get one through, it’s worth it, gives the D something to worry about. Again, variation is the key.

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  102. Rangers need to be less predictable against the Underdogs. Shoot from unexpected spots. Screen Anderson. Crash the net. Doesn’t mean you can’t pass or put it in a corner or around the boards, but they need a LOT more shots. And for God’s sake, hit the net!

    This could be the perfect series to prepare for the Penguins, but obviously they have to win this series first.

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  105. Just remember the other team has a say in what goes on.

    If they are in the shooting lanes a block can lead to an odd man break the other way (as could a telegraphed pass).

    Lidstrom used to shoot for caroms off the backboards.

    Liked by 1 person

  110. Karlsson’s shot from the corner–thought I’d mention it–was LUCKY. Doing the math, that would make the Rangers UNlucky. It’s as though we’re learning for the first time that luck is part of the game. The Rangers, therefore, should now strive for puck-luck rather than out-skill the team they’re better than?

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  114. Quality? The Sens advantage in shots was from the PP. A lot of dreck otherwise, including the winning shot that would not even have been a SOG if it hadn’t hit the back of Hank’s head. I’d say the Rangers had more quality shots than they’re used to. Didn’t cash in, which Mr. Anderson had a small part in. Great goaltending at both ends doesn’t happen sans quality oops.

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  121. If only the Rangers could get some mojo from the Yankees…

    Come back against first place Orioles down 9-1 and 11-4… Just after taking 2 games from the vaunted arch-rival Red Sox.

    …and the Yankees are supposed to be the second class citizens of ny baseball to the mighty mets this year…

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  123. It’s be cool to score early and then play fancy boy pass keep-away for the remainder of the game. Like a full court stall. Final score Rangers 1-0, only one SOG for both teams.

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  131. I guess I’m in a shouda, coulda mood this morning. Somebody answer me this what’s wrong with Kreider, & Miller? We know what’s wrong with Stepan & Haze.

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  135. Loved to hear Brian Leetch talking about when he came up to the big club, Greshner and Knuckles Nilan took him aside, welcomed him and told him not to worry about goons and pests, just skate away and they would happily take care of of the miscreants.

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  136. New York Times says McDonald’s ‘Asian Salad’ is racist.

    …….

    Damn you, salad!

    My god! Do these people wake up and go like “Hhmmm… how can I be a victim today?”

    Liked by 1 person

  139. The problem with the NYR offensively is they do not create any (or at least enough) chaos. Why is it a very rare time indeed when there is a chinese fireplace in the opponents end? Yet there seems to be one in our end from the moment the puck drops? That is not just a function of our defensive game. They make it too easy on other teams. PP another classic example. Other teams make the defenders move around and tire out. NYR let them stand like pylons and read a book or do their nails. THE and Hated used to bring a bit of this chaos factor but guess they ran dry.

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  141. The Rangers probably would have gotten more for Talbot if that dolt in Buffalo did run after Robin Lehner.

    I also find it interesting all of the Cam love because I am sure those same people were questioning A) They play ice hockey in Huntsville, Alabama B) Why would the Rangers sign a goalie who was 15-44-6 at UAH.

    Just goes to show that the most popular player in sports is the backup QB (team doesn’t matter) and the second most popular is the backup goalie of the New York Rangers.

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  148. RUMOR: Rangers on their way to sign a talented 21-year-old Left Winger?

    An early report from Russian Prospect suggests, the 21 year old Left Winger Vladimir Tkachyov (@hcadmiral, KHL) will attend New York Rangers’ development camp this summer.

    Hockey’s Future scouting report describes him as follows:

    “Although small, Tkachyov is a dynamic offensive talent. An explosive skater and a wizard with the puck, he is just beginning to scratch the surface of his immense potential. Oodles of skills and game-breaking ability, the outstanding question is whether he can round out his game and get stronger.”

    Tkachyov played 49 games with Vladivostok Admiral in the KHL last season. He scored 14 goals and registered 25 assists for a total of 39 points.

    https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/rumor-rangers-on-their-way-to-sign-a-talented-21-year-old-left-winger/?ref=seb

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  162. l&la#;adu93zione è un'arma che con me funziona sempre. Resta da queste parti quanto vuoi.Quanto alla procedura, ho idea (ma devo provarci) che implichi un uso intensivo delle mappe di spostamento (di cui parlai ).

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  163. I really like this entry. It has wonderful depth and nuance. But I am embarrassed to say one thought kept going through my mind: this is obviously a wo28a&#nm17;s bar of soap, because there are no lingering body hairs. I’m sorry–I hate to bring such a lovely post down to my level, but, well, I have all males in my home

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