Got embarassed on Live...need some Defensive Help!

[VenomBrock]

Hey guys, short time lerker, first time poster.

Basically, in the past I played hockey games very casually but this year I've been obsessed with getting my hands on EA's game. Love it so far, but I have a problem: I just suck when it comes to the defensive game.

I'm playing on Live today, Colorado (me) v. New Jersey (I think). I jump out in front very quickly with some solid goals, and it's 4-1 by the end of the first period. I will save the long summary and basically say that by the time the third period was over, I had lost 6-5 (from 4-1 and then 5-2).

My main issue is I seem to give up just TONS of and even 2 on 0's! I try my hardest to switch over to a defensemen and get back, but alot of times I'm already so far behind the opponent is free to deke my goalie out of his shorts before I'm even close to catching up. Or, when I do have a defensemen back, my opponent can just skate around me like it's nothing despite my frantic efforts to clog up the zone and take him out. Again, after that they have all the free time in the world to put the puck in my net. However, when I'm hauling ass into the opposing zone, often times there are as many as 3 guys ready to cover me in a snap! I just can't figure it out.

Can anyone offer me some tips here? As a casual gamer I'm pleased with my offense abilities so far, but once it moves the other way I feel totally helpless with the game.

Thanks!

[larry_chimp_man]

Try your best not to pinch with your defensemen. Also, when defending, try and keep your player between the opponent and the net. Poke at the puck and try and knock it away. Also, don't try and take the puck up the middle in your defensive end, dump it along the boards or pass to your wingers and skate it out.

Also, if you do get stuck on the defensive end of a , you can switch to manual goalie and try and stop your opponent's deke. It's hard at first but just practice in the shootout mode. Once you've mastered it you force your opponent to switch up his dekes.

[bcrt2000]

Originally Posted by VenomBrock

Hey guys, short time lerker, first time poster.

Basically, in the past I played hockey games very casually but this year I've been obsessed with getting my hands on EA's game. Love it so far, but I have a problem: I just suck when it comes to the defensive game.

I'm playing on Live today, Colorado (me) v. New Jersey (I think). I jump out in front very quickly with some solid goals, and it's 4-1 by the end of the first period. I will save the long summary and basically say that by the time the third period was over, I had lost 6-5 (from 4-1 and then 5-2).

My main issue is I seem to give up just TONS of and even 2 on 0's! I try my hardest to switch over to a defensemen and get back, but alot of times I'm already so far behind the opponent is free to deke my goalie out of his shorts before I'm even close to catching up. Or, when I do have a defensemen back, my opponent can just skate around me like it's nothing despite my frantic efforts to clog up the zone and take him out. Again, after that they have all the free time in the world to put the puck in my net. However, when I'm hauling ass into the opposing zone, often times there are as many as 3 guys ready to cover me in a snap! I just can't figure it out.

Can anyone offer me some tips here? As a casual gamer I'm pleased with my offense abilities so far, but once it moves the other way I feel totally helpless with the game.

Thanks!

Whenever I'm playing a player who does the same stuff over and over, and plays an all out attack style game, thats how I feel. The last time I felt the game was really balanced in terms of offense vs. defense was NHL 2005. A lot of people blast that game because they didn't like getting checked against the CPU (and for losing a lot of non-ingame features, such as up to 12 players online), but human vs. human, that game was the best balanced hockey game ever made IMO.