The in-game descriptions are quite vague or non-existent so you pretty much are forced to do some research or watch AI vs AI games while “coach” position locked and see what the players actually do. We aren’t all hockey coaches so how are we supposed to know what each strategy does and/or when to use them. What are the best settings? Should we change them? What do they even do?Īll questions I’ve asked myself in past years as well. The more of them you master, the better you'll be.Often there is confusion around the coaching strategies within EA Sports NHL games. NHL 14 is a game made up of several smaller games. Getting punch happy without using the RT (or R2) to dodge attacks will leave you lying on the ice. This is especially the case if you're tangling with a bigger guy, or the opponent simply has a higher fighting skills rating.
If you do find yourself in a fight, it is smart to utilize all of the controls available in the new mechanics. In a close game, this can impact the bottom line. Now an energy boost for each squad is at stake each time you fight. You have to pick your spots to lower the boom and to fight.Ĭlean hits on guys who have the puck are the safest way to go, but even then, an opposing team's enforcer may choose to engage you in a fight. You can level guys at every opportunity and be treated to the new animations provided by the improvements to the physics engine, but this approach doesn't necessarily equate to success.
There is an obvious risk-reward element to using the game's new Enforcer and fighting engines. If you're constantly losing faceoffs-especially in your defending zone-you're going to consistently struggle to contain your opponents. Halodiego1509 breaks it down and explains how you can use various strategies to win faceoffs. I never won the draw, and my overall play suffered. This was perhaps the weakest area of my game over the last two versions. It may result in a broken stick, but it is a great way to keep opponents from getting a shot on goal or finding the back of the net. When you use this strategy in front of an opponent who is ready to take a shot, you can absorb the attempt or redirect it. After a few games in this mode at different positions, the assignments began to stick with me, even when I played in Be a GM mode.Īnother way to take pressure off the goalie is use the LB button (or L1 or PS3) to block shot attempts. The blue arrow shows you where you need to be on the ice. Playing the Live the Life mode helped me a lot in this area. Find your matchup with whomever you're controlling and make a pass to him difficult. No goalie is good enough to withstand this type of pressure.
Sometimes the virtual goon in you can get enamored with plastering the man with the puck, but this will lead to consistent one-timer attempts. The most important rule I've learned is to matchup when the puck is in your defending zone. In addition to that, the realistic penalty system will keep your penalty-killing unit on the ice if you're overly aggressive. The CPU will slice you to pieces with quick passes if you go this route. The old school seek-and-destroy approach you used to be able to employ with NHL games is a thing of the past. From gaining and maintaining possession to defense and physical play, here's what I've learned to improve my game.
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