This has indeed been the story of the season, thus far.
Extremely difficult to have a good forecheck unless you are fast through the neutral zone, and we aren't fast.
The defense knows we like to keep it wide, and they are shadowing our forwards, leaving us to do multiple regroups before we send it it with likely a single forechecker.
With that, our F2 (2nd forward in) has to choose between opposite D or winger, as he can't cover both and F3 is no where to be found, rendering a full and complete forecheck useless. F2 generally tries to get to the winger to disrupt the pass, but with so much time to move the puck, the Dman typically hits the opposite Dman w/the pass and then they've got multiple options to move the puck up the ice.
If we could get through the neutral zone with speed, we can get 2 on the puck, eliminating the first pass, therefore hemming them in the zone, but those times are rare and when it does happen, we generally try to cycle it to death while no one goes to the net. <sigh>
Our best opportunities are on the rush when the puck-handler just keeps it entering the zone, it provides way more creative options, with criss-cross and give & go opportunites, not to mention a drop pass to the D who then can swing it or shoot it on goal.
<btw, how many times have we seen an opposing winger skate the puck into our zone deep to the half-wall and then wait for the high-slot to open up with a trailing player, it happens all the time, but we rarely use this strategy even though it works often, another sigh>
i'd rather we just try and carry the puck into the zone 90% of the time, we'd create far more offense that way. Now granted, we will turnover the puck much more than way, but with the skating quality of our defense, it is a risk worth taking IMHO, it opens up the game and enhances the skill set up our team I think.