When humanity is threatened only the super powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. The Leafs have undergone a major overhaul this year. Of all the changes, none has been more impactful than the addition of a squadron based tactical deployment that head coach Mike Babcock and GM Kyle Dubas designed to keep the peace on the mean Toronto streets. Today we follow Otter squad: centers.

The city of Pittsburgh has fallen under a bizarre and deadly enchantment. Matt Murray, chief wizard for the Pittsburgh Penguins has confirmed that an anomaly across the various planes of existence has formed around the city. None of that matters to Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins resident Russian cyborg super man, He just knows he needs to keep breaking plates. The anomaly has taken hold of the city’s flatware causing dishes everywhere to fly about looking for people to smash into. Dozens of casualties were reported in the first few minutes of the event. Evgeni works hard to smash the spinning plates but he is only one cyborg.

A saucer smashes his nose, a dinner plate hits him in the knee, Evgeni stumbles. A flock of bowls dive bombs the Penguin, hitting him hard enough to engage his pain sensor circuitry.

Gun fire rattles the night air. The bowls threatening Evgeni explode into fragments. Two Toronto Maple Leafs stride through the chaos. Par Lindholm sends out a torrent of hard light bullets which he creates endlessly in the chamber of his assault rifle. Frederik Gauthier is made of granite so he has nothing to worry about as dishes break themselves on him. For a moment the street is clear of threats.

“What are you doing here?” Evgeni asks the visiting Leafs.

“Hi to you too.” Freddy replies.

“I don’t need any help.” Evgeni says.

“We aren’t here to help you.” Par says. “Our wizards think the anomaly that is affecting your city is spreading. Like it or not, we are going to stop it.”

Before Evgeni can protest the shadows in front of him open to allow Nazem Kadri through. The Leaf bleeds from many cuts but seems either to not notice or not care.

“We found the locus.” Nazem means the center of the anomaly. “Let’s go.” Without waiting to see who follows Naz steps back through the shadow portal. Par and Freddy are right behind him, and before the portal closes Evgeni slips through with a curse.

The Penguin steps out of the shadows into a nightmare. Rivers of shattered crockery pour into a floating, swirling mass. Within the heaving, shapeless shards the form of a gaping maw begins to coalesce. A few paces ahead of Evgeni, Par opens fire but the sound is swallowed by the growing storm. A tendril emerges from the mass, sprouting out from the top. It reaches out and lifts Par off the ground. Before the shard monster can pull the Leaf into its mouth Freddy dives through the tendril. His granite body severs the magical connection holding the shards together long enough for Par to drop free. Freddy is caught in his teammates place but there is little the shards can do to hurt him.

Evgeni isn’t sure what he should do, the anomaly gets larger every second and two more tendrils have begun to grow. They start to reach out for Par again and Evgeni races to protect the Leaf, hoping to be effective at something. At once Evgeni is caught in a strong magical grip and is lifted off the ground. He can feel the shards grinding against his synthetic flesh. His pain sensors blare out in needless alarm as he is pulled ever closer to the things mouth.

Par watches in horror as Evgeni is sucked into the maelstrom. Even though his powers seem to do little more than annoy the beast he keeps up an endless stream of fire, only stopping to run for cover when the tendrils lash out for him. Rolling out from behind a tree the Leaf finds himself inexplicably falling through the ground. Par almost panics, thinking that he’s fallen into a trap. After not dying the Leaf looks around and recognizes the shadow realm. Standing around him are Nazem, John Tavares and Freddy Anderson, the Toronto Maple Leafs chief wizard. John reaches out a hand to help Par up.

“It’s time to stop this thing.” John says. “Freddy knows what to do, we just need to buy him some time. You good?”

Par is cut and bruised all over but not enough to slow him down. His grim look is all the answer John needs.

“Let’s go.” Naz says, leading the way out of the shadow realm.

The monster has grown to the size of a house and shows no sign of slowing. Naz and Par take up firing positions on the wizards flanks. John approaches the monster. Tendrils reach out but are slowed by the absolute chill that surrounds John. Frost rims the shards, and as John swings his iron tipped quarterstaff through the grasping arms the cold keeps the monster from reforming.

Wordless, the wizard raises his arms. A blinding flash of of magic explodes from the mage. Par blinks in the silence that follows. His sight returns slowly but when it does he sees that the danger has past. The ground all around him is carpeted in broken crockery. Still granite, Fred Gauthier stomps the shards nearby into powder. John helps Evgeni to his feet and the Penguin staggers to the Leafs wizard.

“It is over?” Evgenis asks, his damaged vocal modulators straining to make words.

The Leafs wizard smiles. “It’s over.” He says. “I stopped everything.”