[belsarius]

I thought this was a cause of concern for the first 20 games, the defense didn't seem to really know what to expect and the forwards were starting to cheat expecting that big breakout pass and it ended with a lot of scrambles in the defensive zone when it didn't work.

In the last 10 though I think they have found a balance with it. The forwards cheat less, or are more aware when it is appropriate to get a head start out of the zone and when they will be needed to help move the puck up the ice. The defense seems more aware, whether it is better communication with Smith or just now feeling his rhythm, they are anticipating better and not allowing themselves to be in a position with only one out. And I think Smith has done a lot better job of picking his spots and when to leave it to the defenders. He is leaving the puck and allowing them to start the rush a lot more instead of just trying to get it up himself all the time.

All of this has, in my opinion, cut down drastically the number of times a game the Flames are getting caught in their own zone. How they are going right now is just the good balance between Smith's puck handling and the skaters ability to transition and you can really tell by the lack of fire drills for the past 5-10 games.