EHM The Blue Line

Its a start Pete!

I'll post my tactics up later - pretty sure it has been covered in the last few posts though what each play does.

Board play you'll want tough checking or power forwards to grind the game out, most of the others speed and passing. I like to think I'm old school but I bet I don't have positional set....

I use the same for all lines, try to pick up players with good speed, passing, using my centre as playmaker and wingers for shooting.

lemming3k wrote:I use the same for all lines, try to pick up players with good speed, passing, using my centre as playmaker and wingers for shooting.

In my opinion, this setup will only work with very skilled players, that are also excellent skaters.

I wouldn\t advise using this with lesser players on the 3rd line and 4th line (even if it's mostly rookies).

Also, about the offensive zone - Overload Slot should not actually be suited for soft, smallish players, yet it's been working out nicely in all versions of the game.

Just goes out to show that mrlincolncity is actually right, and the systems are not well explained/ presented or working as advertised.

You're probably right, I do have quite good players in depth to make it work - I try to pick up rookies with good skating for lower lines and so far it has been working so I haven't changed it.
If I was feeling adventurous I could try and change lines 3&4.

Overload slot is just an old habit, it does ideally need a power forward. Although I can't say I've seen a single deflection/tip in anyways so maybe it just isn't working at all. I have tried other settings and tactics, although mostly on special teams, it's just this is what I've settled with as it works for my guys.

So the 1-4 defence is the best out of whats available? Looking at what you have their, and im not saying do this, im no expert remember, im looking for advice, but id probably play the 2-3 attacking forecheck, why do you prefer 1-4? And whats the thinking behind the centre as the playmaker? What if hes not a playmaker in his attribute list? Or have i read that wrong, iv only got one player with playmaker as his attribute in marcus johannson, hes one of my best players, plenty of assists, but hes a left winger, i play him with backstrom as the centre who scores and assists well for me and ovechkin on the right who scores almost every game! And you have a very good line regards the stars, so why play collapse? Is that better than open? Way i read it is, open, the defence will pressure the opposing forwards, collapse they crowd the net? Is that right? I tend to go open, having said that i concede more than 2 a game on average, but generally score more than 3 on average!
Thanks tho, im learning a bit now, thats what im after, i just want to know what each tactic,forecheck,style means and what i can expect from each one

Well really my thinking with the 1-4 was I have good quick forwards, so I don't need to pinch high as I can catch it further down ice and break. Keeping 4 back to me is the safe option, I should be hard to break down - now that's not to say it's the best, it's working with the players I have on this match engine but if I replace them I might quickly find it stops working. I don't tend to change things until it breaks though, so maybe it doesn't matter at all.
I've gone with collapsing D for similar reasons that I want to play tight in front of net and restrict the opposition to point shots and taking the play away from goal. Open may work better, especially with the speed my guys have. The problem is I can't remember what I tried before to end up settling on this, these aren't the first set of tactics I've tried but I've made small adjustments and ended up here. Pretty sure I tried open and got creamed so switched it up.

I guess this might be old school thinking but to me the centre is your playmaker, he has options both sides and is central (no pun intended) to the teams play going in both directions. I tend to delberately pick up playmaking centres for this role or at least ones with high creativity, passing, anticipation etc so if you don't have them then these tactics may not work.
I do have a playmaking left winger in Domi (3rd line) so I have him set in that slot. I've just picked out the best player for the role to make sure the puck goes through the creative players and I don't have some power forward with 40 passing trying to set things up. Domi doesn't take faceoffs though.

I think a lot of what you say is correct on what these tactics are supposed to do, but then I'm not an expert either just a long time fan (and I play a similar sport so that helps). This could of course be balls and nothing I've set actually matters! But play to your strengths is the best advice, mine are set up based on what my players are good at and picking up the rookies that best fit/can be moulded for my play.

Great stuff, thanks, im starting to get somewhere now, im trying to do what i think is obvious to what my players look like they are capable of. I do have a few players that just dont seem to want to know no matter what i do with them though! Would 22 be too young to expect more than an average of 5/5.50 over a few games? Hes a centre, checker with decent stats for a 22 year old iv put him in my 4th line and only give him 7/8 minutes ice time but he just dosnt want to know. Nick Bjugstad. Got him from florida panthers and hes played 130 odd matches over 3 seasons. His report card shows B+ and A/A+ across the card. But im stumped with what to do? Iv dropped him into the lower league team and brought him bk twice to give him a go but, not happening? His stats are solid greens though and great physically, any ideas?

Bjugstad is my 2nd line center. You have to set his tactics though. I set him to shoot over pass, shoot heavy, tempo high, safe passing, offensive, carry the puck to yes and dumping the puck to rarely. He isn't too good unless you tweak those.

Nice one mate, il give that a go, i do set all my players on player settings, but im not sure what iv got him set to without looking, certainly dont have him carrying the puck, so il check later when im done working. Will let you know how he gets on

Apologies if iv caused offence earlier in this thread guys. Wasnt my intention to do so, i do type as id speak mostly and im very tongue in cheek, im grateful for all comments to my questions here, you are all helping me and its appreciated.

Maybe not the right place to put this, but as its to do with my question on the dos n donts of the tactics, iv reached the final! Im in the final v. LA kings, loving the game, but still not sure on what tactics are best and seem to be bumbling my way through with hope more than knowledge. Beat TB lightening 4-3 in the conference final. Great set of games.

Hey guys, I'm trying to achieve an aggresive forecheck, much like Anaheim (LA too) in real life. I would also like the clog the middle of the ice, in order to prevent the opposition to play around with the puck much, with my D up on the walls. I want to take time and space away from the other team.

I'm thinking:

3-2(or positional high) into 1-1-3
or
3-2(or positional high) into 2-1-2

Am I on the right track?

Quick question about "join the rush." Is it mostly just for defensemen who would otherwise stay back? Or does it work for forwards too? What I am asking is really, do I need to check the box for my entire top-6 or is it just for players who might not otherwise do it?

Need it for F as well.


Agressive forecheck 3-2, 2-1-2.

And what type of player would suit playing an aggressive forecheck? Big strong checking forwards pressumably yes?

mrlincolncity wrote:And what type of player would suit playing an aggressive forecheck? Big strong checking forwards pressumably yes?

Good skaters and high stamina, I would suggest. Active forecheck tires your own team down. Of course being good defensively doesn't hurt either. Not sure if being big and strong is that important, because usually if a forecheck is successful it's more because the forechecker was able to pressure the opponent into making mistakes at their own end as they are gearing up for offense. Not so much plowing them down and clearing the crease, like in backchecking situations.

Well... that's how I see it, at least.

Ah right, this is where i struggle, forecheck and checking to me, means tackling. Im still unsure what the difference is tbh, hence why id choose big checking forwards to be on an aggressive forechecking tactic line, so thats wrong then! So can you explain the difference plz!!?

No, tackling is not the same as checking. Checking is the player's ability to keep the opponent grounded, so to say. Keep his stick off the puck, make it hard for him to maneuver into scoring position. To "check" him. Hitting means ramming someone with a bodycheck, and although useful, it is not checking, and can even sometimes throw the defender out of position and out of the play, so you can't just go ramming everyone and everything in sight.

Forecheck is when the opponent has the puck at their own end -- your offensive zone -- and you send one, sometimes two guys there to pressure them in hopes of causing a bad pass or even achieve a takeaway. Or, I guess when you've just lost the puck at their end and want it back. If you go at it hard you may get it back, but you also then have less guys down, ready for their counterattack.

mrlincolncity wrote:Ah right, this is where i struggle, forecheck and checking to me, means tackling. Im still unsure what the difference is tbh, hence why id choose big checking forwards to be on an aggressive forechecking tactic line, so thats wrong then! So can you explain the difference plz!!?

I'd say Checking means more "marking" an opponent, and maintaining positioning, and being ready for an opponent's mishandled puck/pass

Forecheck is about your players as a group pressuring (or not) your opponent when they have the puck in their own zone

I think you could say "aggressive soccer tackling" corresponds more to Hitting in hockey, and "finesse soccer tackling" corresponds more to hockey's Pokecheck (poking the puck away from an opponent using your stick, and not necessarily involving body contact)

Forecheck is about whether your players are actively pressuring the opponent (using skating skills to get to the opponent with the puck, and then trying to take the puck away and/or trying to "force the play" to go in a certain direction)...the offensive zone is like the first 25-30 yards in front of a soccer goal - if you get a turnover and get the puck you can have an immediate scoring chance! BUT you can sometimes get a penalty with the Hitting/Pokechecking, AND if your opponent gets the puck past you they can almost immediately be in your offensive zone!...in hockey teams can go back and forth very quickly from end to the other

That helps a lot, nice one. So now i see why a 1-4 forecheck is worthwhile, 1 closes down up top, so he needs highwork rate stamina speed and skating skills and the 4 drop off to prevent the quick counter, i think i now know why 1-2-2 works well, cos its got the pressuring up top but then a more staggered approach on the defence, 2 and then the other 2 deep.

I dont set any players to hit more than 50% and most i set at 25% i like to pressure the puck though and will backcheck players with good+ stamina and work rate. I concede very few penalties, often none at all. The quick skillfull lines i tend to use high pressure and use the 3-2 forecheck, this is where the centre will pressure very high and the wingers also on the wings right? Seems to work well for me anyway.

Without sounding like im cocky and clever, i must either be doing ok or the game is a little easy, i won the stanley cup in my first season beating the LAKings 4-1. I was happy to win but a part of me kind of wasnt really, i dont know enough to win! Surely not?

Well, you seem to be really putting your back into learning the game and understanding what you're doing, which brings results. If you win three times in a row with ease, then maybe, it's too easy. Just one Stanley Cup could happen to the real life Caps as well. (I'm assuming you're playing with the Caps, since that is your favorite team.)

Indeed i am! Not a massive fan obviously, but i started watching the playoffs on uktv, live matches here are 1/2/3am but im lucky to get plenty of time to watch them working 4 on 4 off so i instantly took a shine to the caps, and started the game to familiarise myself with the players really. Which worked well, then the next stage was to understand the game and what was going on on the ice. Again, worked quite well, but the finer detail is the tricky part, and this draft system is way over my head hahaha! But a good system to prevent silly money changing hands for buying players, i quite like it and the trade system and a salary cap, football here in england and the world could go a long way with adapting a similar way of doing player transfers thats for sure! Anyway, im in the middle of pre season for season 2 and making some trades and sorting my salary cap, im away from the game now but i will update who iv brought in n traded out to let you knowledgable guys tell me how iv done.
Ovechkin is god though is he not! I dont see a player any better! Or can you put me right?
Thats one thing i have no idea about though, player knowledge. The only players i know about are the old greats from the 80s.
Edmonton oilers had quite a lineup back then didnt they!!? Some of the all time greatest players and at the same time as well!
They must of been unbeatable

You don't need to tell me about Ovechkin. I'm also a Caps fan But he's not the only star in the league, and although he sure is one of the best, he does have his weaknesses. Like everyone, I suppose.

Ovechkin is about the 10th best player in the league. Okay maybe not that low.... But because he is a winger, he is not the best player. There is a center or two out there I would rather have