I think it'd be nice to start with some reactionary threads as the Sabres continue to slump to pinpoint some issues.

One thing I noticed that I'd like to mention:

Two out of 3 of Ottawa's non empty net goals were made possible by poor back checking plays by Pominville and Gaustad, leaving guys wide open in front of the net.

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Wheelhouse

The outcry to play Weber over Gragnani wasn't necessary. He is equally bad in their own zone with no offensive upside. On the second goal Weber looked slow and dumb.
Based on this season McNabb should stay and Weber and Gragnani should sit when everbody is healthy.
Right now Gragnani should play instead of Weber whose +/- is awful. Gragnani isn't worse.

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I still think Gragnani is worse, but it's because of his star-child play decisions (passing east west instead of north south, shit like that).

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Weber had one bad game. He's played great, physical hockey otherwise.

Gragnani is constantly giving the puck away. The kind of plays Weber will make for you once he gets his feet under him again are the ones similar to his raping of Phil Kessel that resulted in Vanek's breakaway goal on Friday night.

There's no room for Gragnani in the lineup when Ehrhoff, Sekera, and Leopold are already there.

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Wheelhouse

Exactly. Nothing against Sabretoothpick but it annoys me when people mention Grags +/-. He's been luck to be in the ice when someone scores, doesn't mean he's done anything to help with that goal.

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Gragnani has the best plus/minus on our team. That's a stat worth paying attention to. I would start him over Weber or Sekera any freakin' day.

+/- is not that telling of a stat.

Gragnani is playing against teams' 3rd and 4th lines... when he doesn't, he gets smoked.

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I've seen one game with Weber where he looked solid, the game he came back from his injury. All the other times I didn't like his play.
Gragnani's +/- is inflated but Weber's tells the truth. He was directly involved in a lot of goals against.

In my opinion Weber is miles away from great, physical hockey. A hit once in a while doesn't make up for blown coverages or lazy skating...Btw I'm wondering what everybody would say about raping Kessel if the refs would have called a crosscheck?

To be clear, I don't like Gragnani's game at all. I just don't feel any better with Weber on the ice.

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I would argue that it is quite a telling stat, seeing as Gragnani is the only player on our team to be in double digits on the plus side. No other defenseman is even a positive, except for Sekera, who is a +4.

When there is that amount of discrepancy between you and everyone else on the team, it means you must be doing something right.

The team is a -9 in goal differential, so that stat makes sense. Do you WATCH Gragnani play? He LOOKS like an AHL'er.

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Honestly, I haven't watched many games this season. So maybe I should just take your word for it. I just have a certain affinity towards Gragnani because he reminds me of a young up-and-coming Brian Campbell at times, and I loved Campbell.

Weber played very good hockey when he was inserted for Grags before he got injured. It takes injured guys time to step back in and play good hockey consistently.

I'd rather let Weber work through his troubles instead of Grags. Come the playoffs (if we even make them) we'll need size on our back end, and our defense is a bunch of weak pussies when Grags is in there WITH Leopold, Sekera, and Ehrhoff.

4 offensive defensemen does not a D core make.

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Wheelhouse

If I came off like a dick, I apologize... your love affair for him makes a little more sense now

I kind of assumed that you weren't able to watch many games based on your location...he's no soupy.

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Our defense allows our goal to be like a blackhole, everything funnels to that hole(pucks, opposition). They are skating in willynilly and having their way with Miller/Enroth. No taking the man, no hustle to backcheck(all busy trying to be Derek Roy on the blue line), and allow screens and entire gaggles of players to camp out front. How Miller/Enroth have not exploded on the lack of physicality on this defense upsets me. If I had dealt with this public displays of mockery would be made.

Because when Miller isn't letting in shots from outside the blue line, he's a rebound machine. Our shitty D actually bailed him out last night with the awful rebound control. It's hard for a pot to call a kettle black.