The fatigue system was a good idea, but very poorly implemented. Puck retrievals during fatigue as well as clearing the zone continue to be absolutely atrocious. An NHL player can lob a puck from their own zone, through the neutral zone and into the O-zone from their own redline, but in NHL we can't get the clear to go past the blue line. Slapshots and wrist clears are auto-grabbed by players like they're first basemen. Now with this in mind it seems EA is doubling down on the fatigue in 25 by not only leeching the energy of the team being pinned down, but adding energy back to the other team to make it has frustrating as possible to get the puck out of the zone, only for them to come right back in if you don't clear the neutral zone.After all this, the goalies will not gain their energy back quick enough and will fatigue down to let the most ridiculous shots go through them while they're flailing on the ice having a asthma and heart attack.Why do the strangest decisions for this game keep getting made year after year?

I don't mind the idea of goalies getting fatigued after long stretches of time facing shots and big scramble plays. The issue is that it takes very little for the goalie's energy to drain down to nothing, and then it takes FOREVER to regain energy. On the flip side, skaters can just stop skating or slow down for a moment and they regain a ton of energy. It's completely unbalanced.

I'm in 100% agreement on that and they probably even have less stamina than what goalies are using and regain it back faster. As I said before it feels like they treat goalie stamina as a beer league goalie who is out of shape.

The onus should be on the offense to keep possession if they want to keep full pressure. Taking away an actual hockey play makes no sense.

The older, non-weak, flip dump came with the risk of icing or flipping it over the boards for a delay of game penalty. It wasn't necessarily easy to avoid both when you were under pressure from forecheckers. And as thebrazenhead75 said, it's a commonly used hockey play. I still don't understand the perceived need to nerf it. As you say, there are other ways of clearing the puck from your zone... why weren't they nerfed too if you want it to be super difficult to break pressure?

Yeah I can honestly say I am not a huge fan of the players grabbing slapshots and such like it's nothing. Hope that is toned severely down if not out. Also maybe later we can find out if the puck dump has been improved or it's staying the same in 25. I'm not fond of goalies losing so much stamina after possibly doing so very little. But I'm with you on this one.In the post that Aljo had put up from Mike it talked about some new features. Guess we shall have to find out what exactly those features are. (pic for reference)

Goalie fatigue needs to go in NHL 25

SummerOfDekes
New Hotshot
4 months ago
I don't mind the idea of goalies getting fatigued after long stretches of time facing shots and big scramble plays. The issue is that it takes very little for the goalie's energy to drain down to nothing, and then it takes FOREVER to regain energy. On the flip side, skaters can just stop skating or slow down for a moment and they regain a ton of energy. It's completely unbalanced.
- KlariskraysNHL
  Hero
  4 months ago
  I'm in 100% agreement on that and they probably even have less stamina than what goalies are using and regain it back faster. As I said before it feels like they treat goalie stamina as a beer league goalie who is out of shape.
RSall14
Seasoned Vanguard
4 months ago
The onus should be on the offense to keep possession if they want to keep full pressure. Taking away an actual hockey play makes no sense.
KlariskraysNHL
Hero
4 months ago
Yeah I can honestly say I am not a huge fan of the players grabbing slapshots and such like it's nothing. Hope that is toned severely down if not out. Also maybe later we can find out if the puck dump has been improved or it's staying the same in 25. I'm not fond of goalies losing so much stamina after possibly doing so very little. But I'm with you on this one.
In the post that Aljo had put up from Mike it talked about some new features. Guess we shall have to find out what exactly those features are. (pic for reference)
- Halfa_Starr
  Rising Adventurer
  3 months ago
  With regards to that screenshot...I wasn't sure how the pressure system could possibly be implemented in a worse way.   And then they do this.   The attacking team gaining a second wind shouldn't be a thing, it's more the defensive team losing theirs that should be the emphasis.   Defensive teams should have the pressure meter immediately after disrupting a play and maintaining control of the puck
  
  The biggest issue with the pressure system is that it was far too inconsistent.   It would fill up instantly for one team, yet forever for the other.   There was also numerous occasions where off a face-off, the attacking C would "win" the faceoff simply by pushing the other C up and gaining pressure, despite never actually having the puck and the defensive winger coming in and taking the puck cleanly
  
  Goalie stamina simply didn't work.   There were definitely times where the goalie faced one shot and was lying on the ice with zero energy.   Or go into desperation save animations for no reason.
  - KidShowtime1867
    Hero
    3 months ago
    The biggest issue with the pressure system is that it was far too inconsistent. It would fill up instantly for one team, yet forever for the other. There was also numerous occasions where off a face-off, the attacking C would "win" the faceoff simply by pushing the other C up and gaining pressure, despite never actually having the puck and the defensive winger coming in and taking the puck cleanly
    This is because the meter only fills up on pass interceptions, shots and hits. If a team is playing keep away (just passing to each other and not taking shots) - the meter doesn't fill up. Whereas another team making passes AND taking shots, causing turnovers, etc will have the meter fill up faster.
    In the scenario where a team gains full pressure after a faceoff win, this is because faceoff wins contribute to building pressure and prior to the faceoff where they obtained full pressure, they would've had the pressure meter filled (again, with possession changes, good shots, etc) almost to full, and the faceoff win put them into the full meter.
thebrazenhead75
Seasoned Novice
4 months ago
It’s because EA has always catered more to offence. They want goals! That’s what they think sells the game.

They admitted they nerfed the flip dump to cater to their pressure system.
Just in the statement above they admit it again. More stamina to gain a second wind to push for a goal. Why not also more stamina to the defending team that successfully clears the zone?

The goalie stamina is also so out of whack. My goalie loses instantly the majority of it with even just the slightest movement. I even have 90 or so endurance/stamina plus I use a trait to increase this more. Like previously mentioned it takes longer to gain it back than a positional player (especially a forward). Just another example of EA creating an unfair balance between offence and defence. Playing G is already hard and this is coming from someone who’s been playing it for about 10 years and has become way better than the average human G that plays.

EA needs to bring back “paddle down” too! Yet another example of them taking away a commonly used ability that helped goalies.
- Jammalammalam
  New Traveler
  4 months ago
  Are you a human goalie? I used to play 6's w/ goalie and LG in past games, but preferred not to do so the last two years. For some reason I thought fatigue wasn't something you had to worry about as a human goalie, but that seems even worse where I feel as if the goalie mechanics have been getting ignored as much as the defensive mechanics of the game. Now they're billing NHL 25 with "new" skating mechanics, dekes, shooting, etc.
  Meanwhile... goalies...
  And now they want to boost the offensive teams fatigue for sustained pressure but won't do the same for teams that actually clear the puck and pressure. ESPECIALLY GOALIES.
  https://i.imgur.com/M4Zn0gm.gif
  - NYR224
    Seasoned Adventurer
    4 months ago
    I’m not a human goalie myself, but I can understand your frustration with the goalie mechanics and how fatigue might affect gameplay. It does seem like the focus on new features like skating mechanics, dekes, and shooting sometimes overshadows improvements in areas like goalie and defensive mechanics. Hopefully, we'll get some updates soon
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
4 months ago
It's really not preferring offense over defense. Offense is more attractive to most people because they prefer scoring goals to shutting them down. Offense also has the flashier moves just by nature of the position. Defense can be a very challenging position to play well. It's something a lot of people just don't focus on. I've played many opponents with a strong offensive game, but are very much lacking on defense. The tools are there to be a good defender. A lot of people just don't master them.

The flip dump is not a good example of us preferring offense over defense. Flipping the puck out isn't the only way to get it out of your zone. I'm not happy about it either, but I get why it needs to be there so the pressure system actually means something. Otherwise, why have it if you can escape that pressure so easily?
- MikeyAU630
  Seasoned Scout
  4 months ago
  The older, non-weak, flip dump came with the risk of icing or flipping it over the boards for a delay of game penalty. It wasn't necessarily easy to avoid both when you were under pressure from forecheckers. And as thebrazenhead75 said, it's a commonly used hockey play. I still don't understand the perceived need to nerf it. As you say, there are other ways of clearing the puck from your zone... why weren't they nerfed too if you want it to be super difficult to break pressure?
  - KlariskraysNHL
    Hero
    4 months ago
    I mean back in October I had this idea that I felt was a great compromise to their system. Probably also super hard to program in also I would assume.
- thebrazenhead75
  Seasoned Novice
  4 months ago
  Playing D has always been generally harder to learn and master but EA has always given more tools and makes it easier for the offence. It’s been a major complaint from so many players throughout the years.
  As for the flip dump. It’s a commonly used easy hockey play. If the offensive team isn’t good enough to substain pressure you don’t make it easier for them by nerfing a defensive ability. Yet by doing so you make it harder for the defensive team. The pressure system should be natural yet EA forces it. EA wants the pressure system it seems on every offensive zone play.
  - EA_Aljo
    Community Manager
    4 months ago
    What new tools would you add to defense?
Tobbish
New Traveler
3 months ago
I feel like it would be enough if the team under pressure get's a bit punished, but that the attacking team doesn't need a boost on top of that. It's enough of a boost that the other team get's slowed down.

Because not only is the team under pressure slowed down, it feels like the team with pressure can be waaay to physical to the defending team without getting a penalty. Unless it's a trip or very intentional interference, you can really run over people, which is the last thing the tired defenders need.

And I agree about the goalies, which performance I have long felt are a gamble anyway. In my last franchise with the Rangers, I had Shesterkin (89 + all his x-factors, during season 3) and Sogaard (83) as my tandem and ending up splitting the games. Who had the better stats? Neither was great, but Sogaard had 88,4% and a 1,85GAA, against Shesterkin's 85,7% and 2,19GAA.

I see no reason to have an expensive top rated goalie if he's not even the game-winner Shesterkin and some of the other top guys are. I promise you I didn't intentionally play worse defence with Shesterkin in net, he simply let in cheap goals, while Sogaard often performed better under pressure, even when his stamina was out.
And NHL 24 was not the first game to make me feel this way. But that full season of play seemed to put some actual numbers on what was previously just a feeling. A 3% differece in save percentage is a pretty signifact difference over 41 games, especially considering the lower rated goalie performed the better numbers.
cogsx86
New Traveler
3 months ago
have to disagree, goalie fatique is a huge part of a goaltenders realistic stature in net
- thebrazenhead75
  Seasoned Novice
  3 months ago
  Yes but only if they’re actually fatigued. Too many times as a goalie I’ll hardly make any movement(s) like just basic positioning and my stamina will decrease by half.
  Ideally our stamina/endurance should decrease more and more as the game goes on. For example, in the first few mins of the 1st period we shouldn’t lose as much stamina. Mid way through the 2nd period we lose more, quicker and longer to regain too. Then even more by the last few minutes of the 3rd and so on and so on if OT occurs.