Offical Tactics Thread: General / Even Strength

[philou21]

If I may add something more, to me, 14 isn't enough. 15 is the lowest I try to go when it comes to discipline and at 16 I think it starts to be good enough.

[timmy_t]

Puck pressure is one thing that will increase penalties. Lower it to normal (at least) and look at the people taking the penalties. Most of us use personal tactics, so look into that too. Look back in this thread about half-way and there are some guys talking about setting personal tactics. Believe me, they work better than just having the whole line on hard hitting or high aggression/puck pressure, etc. The only other thing I can think of is that the players are tired at the end of the game, so check their condition towards the end. If their condition is <85% you should switch them out for someone who isn't so tired.

There isn't really one thing that will fix the penalties and we sometimes need more information to get to the bottom of it.

[bruins72]

I think Gap Control also factors into penalties. If you've got a slower skater on "Tight" or "Very Tight" Gap Control and they can't keep up with the other player, they're going to be more likely to hook him.

[timmy_t]

Hey guys, is the 3-2 Forecheck combined with a 1-1-3 Neutral Zone considered the Left Wing Lock? If so, would you have your left wing play more defensively (or the same as the defensemen)?

Also, has anyone tried a 1-2-2 Forecheck combined with a 1-2-2 Neutral Zone? What about the 1-4 Forecheck?

I'm getting tired of going up 3-0 in the first period and then letting the opposition beat me 4-3.

Thanks

[batdad]

LWL would be more passive on the forecheck. Neutral zone is right.

And yes I have done 1-2-2 in both...and in certain situations with certain players it works. However...it is never a guarantee.

[timmy_t]

Thanks Batdad, but one more question- does the 3-2 send two guys in to forecheck or three? Is it the most aggressive forecheck in EHM?

[batdad]

Most agressive...yes supposedly. It sends 2 after the puck and one to the wall or lower slot area. Supposedly.

However..I am not sure how much these things actually work.....I always have defensive results...with offensive tactics...agressive ones...so never sure.

[timmy_t]

[Vanaja]

Most agressive...yes supposedly. It sends 2 after the puck and one to the wall or lower slot area. Supposedly.

However..I am not sure how much these things actually work.....I always have defensive results...with offensive tactics...agressive ones...so never sure.

Sry for my bad english & wall of text


I am not sure if 3-2 is most aggressive forechecking in game, because...

Manual says "The 3-2 formation is more conservative, your players will line up with tree across the back end (one of the forwards drop in) and two holding position, with aim to keep the opposition forwards in check." and also that 1-4 forecheck is "very conservative".

So If manual is correct, then it should be named 2-3 in game, not 3-2. Real 3-2 would be very very aggressive. In game 3-2 plus 1-1-3 = left wing lock. (if you instruct your left wing to be defensive.)

Also normaly when player plays/forechecks deep in offensive zone, he plays low. But in game positional high send your players deeper to offensive zone than positional low. they are kind reversed in game.

Btw, Powerplay formation names umbrela and diamond are reversed in game too.


Real life forechecking info from: http://jackhasspoken.wordpress.com/2012 ... sitioning/

3-2
in the 3-2 Forecheck, all three Forwards aggressively try to force the opposing puck-carriers into Offensive Zone turnovers. This is very difficult to do unless your team skates like the wind, and is tough to accomplish in non-contact or no-hit leagues.

The main difference between a 3-2 Forecheck and a 2-1-2 Forecheck is how low F3 goes; if she or he is very close to the goal (in the Slot), that would probably be called a 3-2 Forecheck. If the F3 skates back toward the Blue-Line, that is more like a 2-1-2 Forecheck. Again, the aggressiveness changes based on the game situation (needing a goal vs. protecting a lead) and the team’s skating ability.

2-1-2


In the 2-1-2 system, once the opposing player takes the puck behind his net, the Forward closest to the puck (F1) moves to force him out from behind the net. The second Forward (F2) then moves to force the opposing skater to get rid of the puck. The third forward (F3, generally the Centerman) moves into the High Slot, ideally to intercept a pass. The Defensemen pinch based on the game situation (need a goal vs. protecting a lead).
Because the 3-2 and 2-1-2 are Aggressive Forechecks, the Defensemen must be excellent skaters. They will Pinch, coming into the Offensive Zone to help force a turnover. They must be able to recover quickly if the opposing team manages to evade the Forecheck and Break the Puck out.
There is a Breakout especially designed to beat an Aggressive Forecheck, usually called The Deuce (#2). I will save that for a future article.

2-3 (Left Wing Lock)


The Left Wing Lock was used to great success by The Detroit Red Wings during the 1990’s. It is a system in which the Weak-Side Winger (the Winger farthest from the puck) slides back in line with the Defensemen so that the attacking team is always looking at a 2-3 formation.

Notice that rather than trying to cause a turnover low in the Offensive Zone that the team using the Lock is trying to create a turnover in the Neutral Zone (between the Blue-Lines). The front two forwards (F1 and F2) try to double-team the puck carrier in the Neutral Zone and force her or him to cough the puck up. The back three skaters (F3, D1, and D2) serve as protection in case the attacking team gets past the front two Forwards.

This system has become less popular since the NHL took the Red-Line out, but can still be applied in amateur leagues.
Again, a slower team needs to Keep It Tight, and the Lock accomplishes that by keeping all five forwards in a battleship-like formation. It is hard for attacking teams to generate Odd-Man Breaks against you if you run the Lock, because your opponents will always be looking at three “defensemen” rather than two.

1-2-2 (ITS THE TRAP!)


The 1-2-2 system, AKA The Trap, is not a Forecheck at all. Notice how the back four players form a “box” while the high Forward (F1) passively attacks the Offensive Zone.

The goal of the high Forward is to guide the opposing puck-carrier in this box, so that his or her four teammates can collapse on the puck-carrier and likely cause a turnover.

As soon as your team turns the puck over to the opposing team, all five players start skating back toward their own zone. This can be surprisingly effective in leagues that do not allow hitting, or if your team lacks skaters quick enough to run a more-aggressive Forecheck.

The goal of the team running the 1-2-2 is not to score many goals, but to score two or three opportune goals and to spend the rest of the time defending. This can be an effective way to Win if the other team is clearly faster, or if the other team possesses more overall talent than your team.

The New Jersey Devils have used variations of this system to win three Stanley Cups since 1995. Teams who lack offensive talent often use the Trap paired with an aggressive Counter-Attack to generate scoring chances.

Passive Forechecks
A Passive Forecheck is one in which the defending team retreats back toward their own zone. Slower teams, or teams lacking offensive firepower, may be more inclined to use a Passive Forecheck.

[Vanaja]

More forechecking info:

1-4 trap (conservative forecheck)

The most conservative forecheck is the 1-4, also known as the trap. This has been a staple of the Boston Bruins since Claude Julien has taken over. The 1-4 consists of one forechecker in deep and four skaters lined up along the blueline forming a four man wall to prevent the opposing offense from advancing into the neutral zone. Essentially you have four skaters playing defense.

The 1-4 is designed to prevent rushes and breakaways towards your goaltender, which is why guys like Thomas, Bryzgalov and Rinne will sometimes put up ridiculous stats in certain games. They’ll rarely face odd-man rushes.

It should be noted that teams won’t use this formation for an entire game. Post lockout, teams will only use this forecheck in certain game situations. Some teams will trap late in the period, others will trap only when they have the lead, while some teams will trap solely based on where the puck is located in the offensive zone. Gone are the days of teams trapping for an entire 60 minutes.

1-2-2 hybrid (conservative or moderate forecheck)



One of the most common forechecking strategies is the 1-2-2 system. Their exact positioning can vary by team, but typically the 1-2-2 consists of one forechecker down low, two forecheckers high and two defensemen back in the neutral zone. Some teams move this formation up into the OZ to be more aggressive, while others push it back in the NZ to be more conservative. Either way, the basic idea of the 1-2-2 is to funnel the offensive team to the outside and away from center ice.

As the offensive team starts to move up the ice, the high forwards will cut off passing lanes by staying in a box+1 formation (see above). If the puck carrier passes to the wall options, the defensive wingers can move in and try to cause a turnover. If the puck carrier elects to skate through center ice, this four man box collapses around the puck carrier eliminating his space to maneuver. A turnover is usually what ensues.

The Devils have utilized variations of this system for the better part of two decades. Thanks to their success, many teams including the Panthers, Hurricanes, Wild, and Coyotes (to name few) have adopted this system in recent seasons. Other teams like Ottawa will only use it when they have the lead.

2-3 Left Wing Lock (moderate or aggressive forecheck)



The Left Wing Lock looks like a basic 2-3 formation where once puck possession changes in the offensive zone, the center and right winger forecheck the puck carrier aggressively and the left winger heads to the half-boards to give the low forwards a high option should they recover the puck.

If the forecheckers do not retrieve the puck, the left winger can move back in line (or top of the circles) with the two defensemen to form a three man wall (as seen above). Like other schemes, this is designed to force the puck to the boards and stand up the attack at the blueline. Post lockout, few teams still use a left wing lock. The few teams that still use it tend to stagger the two low forwards, so it actually looks like more of a 1-1-3. However, the same responsibilities still apply.

What’s great about this system is that there is always an offensive player used as a defensive safety valve. This allows your best skaters to be aggressive, but whenever there is a possibility of a transition from offense to defense, immediately you have a third guy high to eliminate odd-man rushes in your goalie’s direction.The Red Wings didn’t invent this style, but they were known to popularize it during the 1990’s. Today, the Flyers, Wing, & Islanders will use it in certain game situations.

2-1-2 (aggressive forecheck)



A more aggressive forecheck, the 2-1-2, should be known to all Rangers fans, since this has been John Tortorella’s bread and butter for most of his career. The aim is to create turnovers down low by pressuring opposing defenses.

In the 2-1-2 system, once the opponent takes the puck behind his net, a forechecking winger moves from the right to flush him out. The other winger then moves from the opposite side and forces the enemy skater to get rid of the puck. The mid-level forechecker (F3), moves into the high slot, with tertiary support from the defensemen.

In this system the defensemen have to pinch and move up into the zone to confront the puck carrier and act as fourth forecheckers. They will often be positioned atop the circles as opposed to back at the blueline. This helps to keep the puck pinned in the offensive zone when opposing players throw the puck hard around the boards. Since everyone is hunting for the puck in this system, it is crucial that all of your players can backcheck, which is probably why guys like Mara, McCabe, etc. are all no longer on the Rangers roster.

[Vanaja]

What I think these turn out in game something like:

1-4 / 1-2-2 = Trap
1-2-2 / 1-2-2 = Hybrid
3-2 / 1-1-3 = Weak Side Lock (Left Wing Lock, if you instruct your LW to be defensive.)
Positional High / 2-1-2 = Aggressive 2-1-2 (+defenseman pinches.)

Positional Low = Conservative 2-1-2 in offensive zone (+no pinch.)

[CeeBee]

Thanks for those interesting explanations! Most of that is stuff I have often wondered about but was not sure of.

[Word]

Bruins72 - thanks for adjusting the tactics for junior. I'd been thinking about how they could translate to junior for a while

[umwoz]

I hope I can provoke a little discussion or get some help here, but my issue with my team has always been keeping games consistently at or under 3 GA. I've built a very solid roster and now I'm looking at my goaltenders.

Tuukka Rask, who many of you may know is a rock solid goalie in 5.3d is letting in 3 goals on around 20 shots rather consistently. Any pointers? The PK might need some work but that just seems like an absurdly low SV% for a franchise goaltender.

[QcNordiques]

Has anyone had any success using the 1-2-2 forecheck? I just cant seem to use it properly

[Sabresfan]

Anyone know what tactics work well for major junior teams?

[jesterx7769]

tactics are based on your players. I havent played a serious CHL game but I imagine simple is best.

[batdad]

Welcome aboard Sabres fan. Have a look around and read through these threads. Or better yet, do trial and error. Why go into the game knowing what works. How fun is it just to win easily. Play around til you find what works...lose a bit...get better etc etc.

And for PP...the opposite of whatever the real life Sabres do. And that could work for PK and even strength too.

[Peter_Doherty]

And for PP...the opposite of whatever the real life Sabres do. And that could work for PK and even strength too.

That made me giggle.

[Sabresfan]

Well I have one that works for ahl teams where I end up being a top two teams in my division and mostly go to final fours but not sure about chl major juniors yet

[batdad]

Play and learn. I will give you a hint...play to the strengths of your individual players as much as you can. And no one tactic will work every game.

[doublesky]

Hi all,
can anybody please clarify what is the difference between Overload Slot and Funnel tactics in offensive zone?

[CJ]

Hi all,
can anybody please clarify what is the difference between Overload Slot and Funnel tactics in offensive zone?

Here's a link to the EHM 2007 guide. It has them both explained there.
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/wiki/inde ... 2007_Guide

[doublesky]

Here's a link to the EHM 2007 guide. It has them both explained there.
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/wiki/inde ... 2007_Guide

I've read it. I just want to understand does the main difference in that Overload slot tactics puts only center forward ahead the goalie and the Funnel tactics puts all three forwards ahead goaile?

[Manimal]

IN the tactics screen you can have a look and see. Click show movement and click on the crease