I agree with this - they're not staying out as high on the points, instead falling back to clog up the middle and support teammates down low, which has the beneficial effect of not getting skated in circles repeatedly. It seems like a modified man and I do think they've been more effective at running it. So credit to the coaching staff for that.
But their breakouts have still been very inconsistent. I hate the Carlyle-esque conga line up the boards where one guy tries to shove the puck through forecheckers to the next guy, who tries to chip it out past the point man. One of the things that impressed me most about Leo last year was his ability to find open players when he jumped on a puck in the d-zone and start a breakout. He hasn't been nearly as good at that this year. It might be small sample size, it might be just a comfort level thing with a new linemate, but I really hope it's not being coached out of him. The Ducks need a transition game to be good. Theirs has been bad since Boudreau. I'm kind of over it.
