https://www.xbox.com/play/media/UqwkfaLLvvI'll keep it short and semi-sweet. Play in question begins around the 20-second mark.2-on-1 situation. Forced pass all the way from the boards to the far side of the net. I'm in the passing lane. My build has 94 defensive awareness and gold Quick Pick. Can't even disrupt the play at all."wE dOn'T cAtEr To OfFeNsE!"Lmao. Ok, EA. I don't know which store brand cereal box you got your development team out of, but I'd get a refund if I were you.

Probably hard to see without zooming in on the video, but that pass was on the ice. Zero sauce at all. If you slow it down, you can see the game even starts to give me the animation to intercept the puck, then just stops and lets the puck pass through me to get to the other player.I recognize what you're saying about being a way to stop him, but committing that much to the pass results in basically a 1 on 1 with the goalie. Staying closer to the middle presents a deterrence which keeps the puck carrier short side while also staying in the passing lane to try to break up a pass. That's how defenders would play it in real life, and that's how we should be able to play it in this game. Instead, we get forced on-ice passes going through 94 defensive awareness/gold quick pick like it's nothing. And to be clear, I'm not saying you should be able to cleanly pick off every single pass you're in decent position for. But, a 94 defensive awareness/gold quick pick build in that position should at least be able to make SOME kind of play on the puck.

https://www.xbox.com/play/media/SQd5rYs2fmLmao. I mean, what can I even say at this point. It doesn't matter what I do. I can be running a super defensive build with 97(!) defensive awareness and quick pick, I can be in excellent position to disrupt the pass, and what do I get? My player getting his stick tangled up so I can't make a play. This game sucks. https://www.xbox.com/play/media/mMYBsEMrbm 97 defensive awareness, I'm gliding so that I can have a better chance at making a play on the puck, and my player just completely whiffs while the opposing forward just grabs the puck out of a pile of players and scores. This game isn't fun to play.https://www.xbox.com/play/media/rbKa3h2ae7My build in this clip has 97 defensive awareness and gold quick pick. I'm backskating to face the puck. I'm closer to the passing option, so it's not a reaction time issue. There's two defenders in the lane. Who gets the puck? Yeah, exactly.While I'm on this subject, I'd like to offer this bit of feedback EA_Aljo The mechanic where you need to stop skating to intercept pucks is too harsh. For example, if I'm defending a 2-on-1, my main priority is to take away the passing option, so I have to make sure I'm constantly in that passing lane. But, to have a good chance at intercepting the pass, I have to stop skating. Well, if I stop skating, these 94/95 speed players will blow right past my player. Also, if the passing option stops up or moves to open up the lane, I have to skate to get back in the passing lane. So, not skating isn't really an option.On the flip side, going for pokechecks or any kind of defensive skill stick play is basically just guaranteeing that the puck carrier will pass, and there's basically no chance of disrupting the play at that point because dss just flat out doesn't do anything and pokechecking instantly slows you down and takes you out of the play. And, even if you DO get a successful pokecheck, odds are the forward will just pick the puck back up again instantly.Defensemen are constantly having to read and react to quick, agile movements, so penalizing players for skating when they HAVE to is really harsh. I would like to see it be where having high defensive awareness enables you to maintain your ability to grab pucks while moving, whereas having low defensive awareness forces you to glide to have a chance at making a play on the puck. This should also be the case with offensive awareness, but in the context of receiving passes from teammates.Idk. I've been pointing out these issues for years and nothing seems to ever change. Unless EA really improves defense and goaltending, I think NHL 25 will be my last time purchasing an NHL game. This franchise just isn't fun anymore.

So, if a single pixel of my player makes contact with another player, the interception mechanic just breaks? Doesn't that seems like a problem? Especially in a game that is based on a CONTACT sport? I'm sorry, but asking players to be THAT precise, to avoid contacting other players in even the slightest way, just to be able to make a play on a puck when they have NINETY SEVEN DEFENSIVE AWARENESS AND GOLD QUICK PICK is completely ridiculous.You know what's funny though? Players can stand in front of the goalie, put the controller down, get smacked around by a defender, and the game will have ZERO issue automatically tipping pucks into the net for them. Weird how defenders and goaltenders are asked to be pixel perfect just to have a 50/50 chance at making a play, but offensive players can get rewarded for literally doing nothing.https://www.xbox.com/play/media/msfzQAavuK Well, would you look at that? I'm all over the offensive player, making contact, initiating a stick tie up, and he just easily tips the puck in the net. Apparently, this clipping excuse only comes into play when you're defending. Well, thanks for confirming the game is just rigged in favor of offense. Appreciate it.

https://www.xbox.com/play/media/XtBTzrB2DGI forget exactly what my build here is, but my defensive builds are usually between 95-97 defensive awareness and usually have gold or silver quick pick.The puck is behind the net and I'm covering the net front. I'm facing the puck, have high defensive awareness, silver quick pick, etc.The game was SO adamant about this pass going through that it caused my player to put the blade of his stick THROUGH the ice causing me to completely miss the puck. EA_AljoI think this is probably more of an issue with clipping, but I still thought it was worth posting. Defenders are so frustrated with plays like this. Like, if that puck had been a manual sauce that hopped over my stick and through my players legs, I could live with that. But, it's so deflating when you read the play correctly, have a build designed to stop these kinds of plays, you're in good position, and the game just says NOPE.I'll watch players on offense just park themselves in front of the net, not do anything, and the game will reward them with automatic deflected goals. When are defenders going to start getting rewarded for playing good defense?

Yea well notice how the pass receiver tweaks his posture to make sure he gets it, meanwhile the dman looks unbothered to play hockey, anyone would be upset by this outcome, lets be real.

Defensive interceptions and forced passes

19 Replies

NeonSkyline21
Seasoned Ace
5 months ago
Did he get an auto-sauce there? Ideally, your guy would have picked that off or at least bobbled the puck but a more efficient way to stop that play would have been for you to get inside the guy on the backdoor and stick lift him.
SummerOfDekes
New Ace
5 months ago
Probably hard to see without zooming in on the video, but that pass was on the ice. Zero sauce at all. If you slow it down, you can see the game even starts to give me the animation to intercept the puck, then just stops and lets the puck pass through me to get to the other player.
I recognize what you're saying about being a way to stop him, but committing that much to the pass results in basically a 1 on 1 with the goalie. Staying closer to the middle presents a deterrence which keeps the puck carrier short side while also staying in the passing lane to try to break up a pass. That's how defenders would play it in real life, and that's how we should be able to play it in this game. Instead, we get forced on-ice passes going through 94 defensive awareness/gold quick pick like it's nothing.
And to be clear, I'm not saying you should be able to cleanly pick off every single pass you're in decent position for. But, a 94 defensive awareness/gold quick pick build in that position should at least be able to make SOME kind of play on the puck.
7elze8dxob47
New Traveler
4 months ago
They seem to want the new players to play on the offensive side so they seem to make the center & wings overpowered.
KidShowtime1867
Hero
4 months ago

SummerOfDekes wrote:
Forced pass all the way from the boards to the far side of the net.
The pass was released at the face-off dot, not "all the way from the boards"

SummerOfDekes wrote:
Staying closer to the middle presents a deterrence which keeps the puck carrier short side while also staying in the passing lane to try to break up a pass. That's how defenders would play it in real life, and that's how we should be able to play it in this game.
Sometimes, yes. But in this scenario, your D Partner who recognizes he was burned, begins to hustle towards the puck carrier which should've been an indication to you to switch coverage and cover the pass recipient. You chose to "stay in the passing lane" but this presents an opportunity for a well placed pass to go through you.
Although you insist the pass was "all the way from the boards", it wasn't. And this means that your player has less time to react.
Compounding the reaction time is the fact that while you were about to intercept the puck, you actually instruct your player to turn away from the puck and away from the net:

Lastly, and I'm about to get conspiratorial on you here, your teammate makes an errant poke check while the puck is in motion. It's my belief that if there's a user-error in any given sequence, it has an effect on that teams' ability to corral loose pucks, get a fortuitous outcome on a pickup or, in this case - intercept a bullet pass.
NeonSkyline21is correct in that you should've gotten body position on Yakupov and either nudged him using incidental contact and/or a well timed stick lift.
Ever since '19, passively being in the passing lane is not an ideal defensive philosophy.
SummerOfDekesII
New Adventurer
4 months ago
Yeah, you're right. I take back what I said previously. Every pass should just go through. This game is actually perfect.
KidShowtime1867
Hero
4 months ago
I mean... that's not what I'm saying at all, but okay.
OFFENDED_DMAN
Seasoned Traveler
4 months ago
Yea well notice how the pass receiver tweaks his posture to make sure he gets it, meanwhile the dman looks unbothered to play hockey, anyone would be upset by this outcome, lets be real.
SummerOfDekesII
New Adventurer
2 months ago
https://www.xbox.com/play/media/w4pk7eCb3a
https://www.xbox.com/play/media/m2c9Jve2yP
97 defensive awareness with silver quick pick, and this is the bs I'm given. Forced passes going through multiple defenders and my player kicking pucks into my own net.
Quit rewarding trash players forcing passes. Get this bs out of the game, EA_Aljo
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
2 months ago
For the first video, the puck isn't intercepted due to other players clipping through them.

The second video is definitely unfortunate. Hopefully, we'll have this handled better in the future.
SummerOfDekesII
New Adventurer
28 days ago
https://www.xbox.com/play/media/XtBTzrB2DG
I forget exactly what my build here is, but my defensive builds are usually between 95-97 defensive awareness and usually have gold or silver quick pick.
The puck is behind the net and I'm covering the net front. I'm facing the puck, have high defensive awareness, silver quick pick, etc.
The game was SO adamant about this pass going through that it caused my player to put the blade of his stick THROUGH the ice causing me to completely miss the puck.
EA_AljoI think this is probably more of an issue with clipping, but I still thought it was worth posting. Defenders are so frustrated with plays like this. Like, if that puck had been a manual sauce that hopped over my stick and through my players legs, I could live with that. But, it's so deflating when you read the play correctly, have a build designed to stop these kinds of plays, you're in good position, and the game just says NOPE.
I'll watch players on offense just park themselves in front of the net, not do anything, and the game will reward them with automatic deflected goals. When are defenders going to start getting rewarded for playing good defense?