I can’t believe the difference I’m seeing in the Flames breaking out of their own zone. They’re still putting the puck to the winger on the boards with option A being the center coming up the middle but the difference is that under Ward there was no option B. If the defenceman saw the winger covered it was still being forced there for so many turnovers, and similarly if the winger didn’t have a clean look to get it to the centre it was still being forced there and our opposition was absolutely feasting on us being so stuck in these plays. They’re still using this basic breakout strategy but only when it’s available - I’m seeing a lot more intelligence being used now where if option A is no good, they’re adjusting on the fly with instinct and making the next best play to keep moving the puck. It just felt before like so much static idiocy where now it feels like less thinking and more skill/instinct.
Such a refreshing change compared to the constant hair pulling frustration we were subjected to under Ward.
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