Don't worry. There are actual 3's, 5's, and 6's players that realize the CPU has been at a disadvantage for what feels like the dawn of time. No play that you do, save for keeping one of the forwards all the way back to ALWAYS cover the D will work. The problem is that this game has been forward centric for a long while now, and they keep adding tools for players to act and move faster, but the CPU, especially the CPU D, doesn't have the tools to keep up with a 4'9, 33 pound forward rocking Wheels, Elite Edges, and Ankle Breaker. The CPU is not coded to turn around to match the attacking players speed, nor do they seem to hustle as the player skates a straight line right by them.
In these situations, you have to play the wrong way as two forwards trying to put the puck in the net with one forward needing to play D while the CPU covers absolutely no one. The shortfalls of having a competent CPU is not your fault.
There are actual 3's, 5's, and 6's players that realize the CPU has been at a disadvantage for what feels like the dawn of time.
I've been playing EASHL since NHL 09. I consider myself an 'actual' player. The major difference is that my team and I have adjusted to the AI teammates when we have them. We get them. We don't lay the fault of all our problems at their feet. We've learned to work with them. Yes, we get burned by them now and then but we dont' make a federal case about it. We chalk it up to mistakes that humans would make sometimes, we adjust and we move on.
In these situations, you have to play the wrong way as two forwards trying to put the puck in the net with one forward needing to play D while the CPU covers absolutely no one. The shortfalls of having a competent CPU is not your fault.
This is wrong think my dude. If you are positionally sound and conservative in 3's, your CPU D will play lights out. There's a reason why people come in here every single day and say things like "the other team gets better Ai than us". It's like yea buddy- because there are a lot of skilled players out there who know how to play in such a way that it gets the most out of their A.I.
I'm going to leave this here so you know what kind of experience I'm basing my comments on. I've seen you in these forums a lot giving advice on what players are doing wrong, while really never holding the mechanics of the game accountable. Just a bit of a resume so you know that I have some semblance of what I'm talking about.
Cool. Now, you're not wrong by saying playing conservative in 3's is the best way to prevent OPs gripe. Always playing with a bot D is a precarious choice, but when you have a game as inconsistent and as low pop as EA NHL, you can't always afford to not play games with a bot (I hate calling them AI because there's no intelligence to them).
I think OP would've been fine with a 3v1 against because, as forwards, they've got to try to push the offense. All he's saying is that the bot should be able to cover the rush all the way back to the goalie. He doesn't have to stick check, hit, or make a play to take him OUT of the play, but just be a bit of a menace to make the forward do something besides straight line to the goal. If the bot is not going to contribute to the offense and is camping the blue line while the puck is in deep, he should either be able to skate backwards and stay between the puck carrier and the goalie or turn at the appropriate time to match speed and make a play. Getting blown by without any hustle while not making any attempt at being a D-man is behavior that EA needs to address and haven't for as long as I can remember.
In older NHL games I was primarily a 3's player, but transitioned the last two years to 5's and 6's. Bot D's are generally avoided by skilled players (wink) for the reason I just outlined. If I'm playing D with a bot I know that I have to cover the bot's assignment and my own assignment on the rush because in 5s and 6s, players are going to skate the same.. exact.. way.. against.. a.. bot.. and... blow.. by.. it. It almost never fails. It's also very difficult because if you start trying to play D for the bot and yourself, it makes the bot go defensively off the rails. You can repeat this same scenario in any of the MP modes. You can play the offense coming at you perfectly and still have to compensate for the bot (In OP case, it means playing as a D-man and not a forward). There are instances where people say they have played against amazing bots, and that's because the bot seems to be able to easily take the puck from you in close quarters, shove you off the puck easier, and regain position of the puck easier if there's a battle. Passes are sometimes intercepted or broken up easier than if a human was in the same spot. Some bot defense will also jump into the offense and aggressively play this way and you'll usually hear in party chat, "What is the bot doing?!". Truthfully, no one knows.
All I'm saying is that OP knows it's going to be an odd man rush against him. He knows he and his partner will have to play a bit aggressive because there isn't a human D to contribute to the offense that knows how to use the hustle mechanic. He knows he could've played more conservative. Duh, right? His gripe is that if the bot is just slightly more competent in keeping up with human players with perks that EA keeps throwing at players, and not a HUT bot skating in sand, then it'll be an easier pill to swallow. I'd certainly like the same for bot D in 5's and 6's.
It's fine to critique players as this is a public forum, but please don't handwave the mechanics of the game like it's perfect and we shouldn't fight to pressure EA to create better mechanics. Especially the BOT mechanics.
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