Found a great article about how to be a better teammate.Feature article
I really only have one tip when it comes to defence - controll the slot!
A common mistake is to aggressivly attack the puck handler while leaving the slot open. In reality, it is generally more effective to stay in the slot and play the passing lanes and keep the goal area clear, even if it means allowing the puck handler to take an uncontested shot outside the slot.
If your behind the attacker a sticklift is very useful. Try to come up from behind on the side he's holding his stick before you execute the move. If you're right behind the attacker, you'll risk a penality for high sticking.
So don't go for the big body check along the boards unless you're certain that you will win the puck. Even if you hit the player, he might get a pass through with you out of position. If you poke check instead, even if you don't win the puck, you're still between the opponent and the goal.
If your behind the attacker a sticklift is very useful. Try to come up from behind on the side he's holding his stick before you execute the move. If you're right behind the attacker, you'll risk a penality for high sticking.
Here's an example of bad defence. Not only do I get beaten to the puck - I'm on the wrong side of the attacker (I should allways position myself between the attacker and my own goal) and my teammates goes out on attack, leaving the slot .
To win the face off start your poke when the referee sticks his arm out to drop the puck. I've read that you should start the poke just before the puck touches the ice - this is not true, at least it doesn't work for me on my PS3.
Online it's something it's something that needs to be "felt out", due to the varying latency of each game. But most of the time you want to start just before the ref sticks his arm out.In other words, anticipate the ref’s drop, and try to start your poke just before he begins his drop animation.
Also keep an eye on your opponent’s stick before the drop - if you see that your opponent is way out in front and left out of position after his initial swipe - you can play it safe and wait for the ref to drop the puck.
I found some nice videos where David Littman, the producer of NHL 09, talks about some strategies. Check 'em out at TeamXbox.
Scoring in NHL09 is really all about making the goalie expose himself and take advantage of the opportunity when he does so! Either you make the goalie move or you move the puck (pass it or deke) so fast the goalie doesn't have time to get in position for a save.
There are of course many ways to score but I will give you a couple of examples. We'll start off with a fairly easy way of scoring. The idea here is to make to goalie leave the near post and then put the puck on the side he just left.
The goalie is always weaker on his stick side. A well aimed shot to the near post from this position is a good way to score.
Update:
We have fixed the goals from outside shots that people are scoring. We have reduced shot accuracy when on the rush and when turning quickly, and from far out. You will now have to be more conservative when shooting on the rush. If you aim all the way to the left or right, your shot will go wide a lot more. Try aiming more towards the middle to hit the net from outside. This fixes the cross goal where you shoot back the other way, and the goal that goes in with the “curve” animation, and a few others. There’s a reason NHL players don’t shoot from outside on the rush very often. Dumping or trying to set up is a better play unless you have an odd-man situation. - David Littman, EA Sports
Here's another way of making the goalie leave the near post - this time from behind the net.
Passing the puck around is very important. Choose the right moment for the final pass. The ideal is to have one of your players in the slot with not more than one opposing player in the passing lane. If you can get a pass through from behind the net to the other side of the goal - you got a great chance at scoring. But don't give the puck away, sometimes it's better to pass the puck around until you see an opening.
When you're behind the goal, be patient. Wait for the goalies and defenders to do something stupid. Also, hold the L2 button so that you keep facing the goal .In this example I'm doing so and when I fire off the slap shot the player automatically turn to a perfect position. I aim for the near post, up high.
Perhaps the easiest way to score is to pick up the rebounds. When you shoot, aim for the goalies stick side, so he can't catch the puck with his glove. After the shot, do not change player - your AI-controlled players will skate towards the puck and if one of them get to it then you shoot (remember to aim).
Last but not least I will show you a great way to deke the goalie out of position. It's kinda hard, but if you get it to work you will have success. Move the right stick to the right, then to the left. From this position you'll have to do a 3/4 circular motion to the right up to the wrist shot position. To really get the goalie out of position you also want to move you player to the left when you deke to the left. If you do so you will almost certainly have an opening on the right side of the goal (aim high to the right if the goalie should do a split).
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