When the poll has ended I will create the team. I will also make a new blog for our team (so those of you who wanting tips don't have to read posts like this anymore).
What we do have to decide is who's going to play where. So far these guys have made a choice:
Zuperzulan - playmaker (C or Winger?)
thndrchckn - dangler (Winger or C?)
Ante_Potter - Defensive D
But Rook25 and sisyphus18 need to make a choice too. A defender and a winger (sniper or powerforward perhaps?) would be nice!
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On offense, if you play as a centre, the slot or behind goal is where you should be most of the time. Of course you need to leave your zone from time to time to help your teammates, or to draw defenders away from your area, but try to return to your zone as fast as possible.
If you're not where you're supposed to be, you will confuse your teammates or even collide with them - ruining your attack.
As a winger you should typically be inside an area between the corner, slot and face off circle. You shouldn't keep to just one side, but help out on the side where the puck is. The aim is to be whereever you need to be to create a triangle together with the centre and the other winger.
Also, if a D has carried the puck into offensive zone and ended up in the face off cirlce, the winger should take his place as the D has replaced the winger.
The D's should be in the area near the blue line and the boards (the point). If the puck is in the corner, one D should be by the boards and the other should be in the middle, on or just inside the blue line.
Low wrist shots from the point, or just inside the blue line, often forces the goalie to give up rebounds. Also, since a wrister isn't as hard as a slap shot, the puck will be easier to reach for your teammates.
Note that if you want to force rebounds, that your teammates easily can pick up and score on, you should take the shots from the sides, so that the rebounds end up on the other side from where the net often is wide open.
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AI players will move in on loose pucks, but if there are a lot of CPU players in the slot they may have a hard time getting to them. Can't say that I've had more luck with "crash the net" than "overload" or "behind the net", but in theory I think crash the net should work better. What you have to do is to time your shots. You want team mates moving in on goal but you don't want them to close either, cause then the rebound will end up behind or under them instead of a stick length ahead of them. If your coing in from the side on the rusn and you take a low shot towards the centre or far side of the goal, when you have a team mate entering the face off cirlce on the other side, I'd say you got a good chance at picking up the rebound (if the goalie leaves one).
What it's really all about is evaluating the situations. Where's the opening and what kind of opening is it? Should you go for a one-timer, try to deke your way through, take a low shot for a possible rebound, or a high shot in an effort to score directly?
Here's a photo of a situation screaming for a low rebound shot. There's an opening in the middle that will guarantee a low shot getting through and at the same time, the left winger is skating towards the slot and there are no defenders on his side of the ice.
Let's look at the video as well to see the result.
Of course your opponents defensive strategy also affect how successful you´ll be getting to the rebounds. If they play High Pressure and Tight Point, you will get chances to pick up rebounds when the leave the slot to put pressure on your players. But If they're playing Contain Puck and Collapsing, you will find it hard to get to the rebounds. On the other hand they will block their goalies view, so a puck that goes through their human wall might just end up in net.
It's harder but also easier to score in NHL 10. Harder because the goalies have superhuman reflexes. Easier because the goalies leave more rebounds and (for some reason) have big problems with slow moving pucks along the ice.
Personally, I don't like this shift from EA. Fixing the wrap arounds, curve shots etc is very good, but the superquick moves of the goalies and the impossible saves they make are just a bit too much and unnecessary. Especially since it's harder to connect passes now and the goalies make a pretty good job blocking cross crease passes.
So how do you acutally score? Well you can still score with onetimers and dekes on the rush, it's just harder. The best way to score now is to take wrist shots from the point when you got team mates in the slot who can pick up the rebounds.
Of course if you really outplay your opponent you will still score on onetimers.
When you're alone with the goalie you need to make more of an effort this year. If you used to do the left-right deke over to the back hand shot, try adding one more move.
This is how the deke is done:
1. Bring the RS over to 9 (or 8) o'clock.
2. Move the RS downward i a half circle over to 3 o'clock.
3. Move the RS directly over to 9 (or 8) o'clock.
4. Shoot
My experience playing 20 something matches online is that it's easier to find an opening between the goalies legs this year. I've scored about a third of my goals aiming (some by accident) between the goalies legs. Many times the goalies make horrible misstakes on slow moving pucks moving towards their 5 hole.
Coming in towards the goal in a good angle (that forces the goalie to cover one of the posts) makes scoring easier (if you can get the puck over to the far side post).
If there's alot of players in the slot. Take a slap shot and hope for the best. I score more goals this way than when I'm left alone on the break away.
Again - the five hole is where I score most goals.
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I really think you'll get more fun out of the game, playing OTP. I don't have much experience myself playing team play, so there's no need feeling you're not good enough.
We're now 4 (3 and one maybe, actually) players in our team. Does anyone else whish to join?
My suggestion for team name will be Euro Trashers. Rook wants us to go with Autopucks. Leave your own suggestion, or vote for one of the above, togehter with your PSN name.
While the CPU is pretty smart this year, the AI of your teammates simply isn't good enough. I've made a couple of plays to ensure that the forwards, who's not carrying the puck, goes for the far post on the rush.The reason I want to do this, is the CPU golies reflexes on onetimers are nothing short of phenomenal this year. So if the LW would just skate towards the middle of the crease for the onetimer, the goalie would make a nice save, no doubt.
Here's an example of a play actually working :)
This is by far the hardest strategy to play against, if you ask me. New Jersey Devils used this strategy with great result when winning the 1995 Stanley Cup. The trap, when combined with obstruction, developed into such an effective defensive system that the NHL implemented new rules during the 2004-05 players lockout. Because it is easier to trap when engaging in obstruction and restraining fouls, such as hooking and holding, the NHL ordered officials to call all obstruction penalties. The NHL also removed the two-line pass rule in an attempt to open up neutral zone play.
So what does it look like?
It's a basic 1-2-2 formation. The center sits at the top of the trap and pressures the puck. When the opponent decides which direction to attack, the two wings and defensemen collapse to that side of the ice, clogging most of the passing lanes.The most recognizable implementation of the trap sees the defense stationing four of their players in the neutral zone and one forechecker in the offensive zone, just inside the oppositions blueline. As the offensive team starts to move up the ice, the forechecker will cut off passing lanes to other offensive players by staying in the middle of the ice, forcing the puck carrier to the outside. The defensive wingers, usually on or near the red line, will then move to challenge the puck carrier, attempting to keep opponents from moving through the neutral zone. Thus forcing the puck carrier to move the puck to the boards. The two defencemen (who are positioned on or near their blue line) and weak side winger will attempt to step into the passing lanes and cause a turnover.
How to do it in NHL 10
Set the forecheck to 1-2-2. Use Puck Side Attack pressure and Staggered or Tight Point as your defensive strategy.
How do you attack it?
If you're able to cross the red line you can use the dump-and-chase strategy. Send the puck into the offensive zone from center ice, forcing the trap team to reverse its course. If you're about to get trapped by the boards, pass the puck back to a defender or, if out of options, use the boards to shoot the puck down into offensive zone.
You might feel like a bore playing dump style, but in order to overcome the trap you need to move your forwards to open ice. Since the AI tends to fuck this up, you need to create a pretty advanced play. I found a post with a strategy here. Of course you could allways try deking your way through, but you will find yourself outnumbered 2-1 (at least) and if you beat one man with a loose puck deke another will move in and pick up the loose puck most of the time.
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Playing my first NHL 10 online game yesterday I noticed one big change (besides boardplay and fps fights). In NHL 09 cross-ice passes was a low-risk play. They got through way too often and the game pretty much rewarded dangerous passes. With the new 360-degree passing engine you take a big risk attempting cross ice passes. You're better off passing the puck around your opponents or dumping the puck down in the offensive zone. Dump-style hockey is much easier now that you can nail opponents to the board, and thus a high and aggressive forecheck works better than in NHL 09. In NHL 09, clogging the zone around your own blue line, seemed to be the most effective way to regain puck control. But now, when dump and chase hockey is more rewarding, opponents can take advantage of you having all your players, pretty much still, around your red line. At least that's what I think in theory. I have yet to find out if this is actually the case.
This one I don't know what to say about. Glitch or not, you decide. From time to time (especially if you have just pulled of the cheap slap shot from close range) you can get a butterfly goalie to do a split just by breaking when you're between the two face off spots. It seems like you have to come in a little from the side, so that the brake make it look like you're taking a shot.
I don't like calling goals for glitches, but yesterday I played a couple of guys who went for this goal constantly. There's definitely something wrong with how the goalie reacts to a close, slapshot from this angle. If done right, the goalie allways leaves the near post and that's just wrong.
Personally I think this is a cheap goal since it pretty much works all the time, if you time it and come in at the right angle.
Another match for those of you wanting to see what I do right and wrong. Feel free to comment.
Personally I think I really need to work on my aim on one-timers. I tend to be too aggressive on the LS. Also I leave the offensive slot too often - it's gotten to be a bad habit, I'm trying to create openings, but I overdo it. Adding to my faults, I make too many risky passes when I try to reach my D's across the ice. This results in dangerous turnovers.
The audio sound terrible at first but a minute or so in it sounds ok.
We're wating for NHL 10. Judging from the demo, the game will be even more authentic this year. I like the addition of board play. This will prevent people (me also) from circling around behind net and by the boards. As for the first person fights, I don't know. I don't find the fighting part that funny, but maybe the boost in energy it will bring to your team, given you take a good fight, adds an interesting tactical element.What do you thing?
Looked at some pictures from the LA Kings Fest, where fans could try the new game. Man, I tell you - you would never have seen cheerleaders if the event had been held in Sweden. That would've been considered sexist. Not that I would've complained, but most women in Sweden would've.
Search volume index for NHL 10, NFL 10 and FIFA 10. Nice to see NHL 10 beating NFL, even though NFL 10 has allready been released. But the addition of FIFA puts NHL and NFL's numbers into perspective.
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