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Melonvine's avatar
Melonvine
Seasoned Newcomer
2 years ago

Tips on avoiding poke checks in NHL 23?

Hey all 

I've been playing for a year. I find myself still struggling against strong opponents who are very aggressive at charging at me with pokes/body checks when I leave my zone and in the neutral zone.

I have been trying various things but unsure if anyone had solid tips to help me out. Is there a strategic move you guys pull off such as thinking about making faster passes, or thinking 2 passes ahead ? Maybe I'm not passing frequently enough. I'm aware of using L2+X, passing it down the boards to the other teamate on the other side. Maybe I should try bringing the puck up from my zone into the neutral zone by stickhandling a bit better? I also see some people just use their left stick in their zone to fend off the opponent.

Some tips on avoiding the poke would be really helpful.

Thanks!

2 Replies

  • KlariskraysNHL's avatar
    KlariskraysNHL
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    Best suggestions...  Especially if playing HUT

    1.) Get big and fast players

    2.)  Pass more often

    3.)  Work on learning to LT/L2 better so you can draw penalties from people who might just spam poke

  • EA_Aljo's avatar
    EA_Aljo
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    2 years ago

    Hey there, @Melonvine 

    I like to pass back to a trailing forward or defender in the NZ and then pass across to a forward on the far side boards. There usually is a gap here, but if not, I'll repeat. I'll pass it around the NZ until I can create a gap to skate through. I also find the deke for banking the puck off the boards works really well, but it also takes good timing. The same move (LB+RT, L1+R2) works when off the boards as well. Still, if you're finding it's impossible to gain their zone, dumping the puck can be good. Especially if you've got speedy forwards.

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