EASHL Speed Issue in Tech Test

Pretty much all of this is spot on.  My builds were both around 6' 200 lbs until last night.  I made tiny players and the difference was so noticeable.  At least doubled my points output and could play aggressively on the fore check or pinches, yet always seem able to recover my position.

The problem I feel like is that it is way too easy to play with the puck in close proximity to the opposition, because defending is incredibly dependent on User reaction time.  Even the AI can't process the play with the speed puck carriers bare down on them with, and so it is no surprise User defenders are getting walked around as easily as the AI often is.

So far my only solution to the problem is to play the most sound, patient, positional brand of defense I can with a focus on NOT making plays on the puck until I am damn sure of it OR to join the meta.  The former solution has lead to sequences where a User puck carrier will skate circles and perform loose puck dekes for a solid minute trying to get past me out of the corner.  I can't get the puck off of him safely, but they can't get past me reliably so it just becomes a stalemate until others get involved (usually opening up a pass to the slot or backdoor, which was exactly what I was trying to make sure didn't happen).  OR, join the meta.

Aren't competitive video games fun?

@inflamedaverage 

What defensive tools would you like to see added?

With all the young, explosive defensemen in the game today I think it should be a focus point moving forward. There needs to be a way to turn defense into offense quickly and more dynamically.  When someone is playing a defenseman 1 on 1 we shouldn’t just have to choose to swat/poke the puck away or try and knock the guy off it. Offense has so many options such as deke, protect, spin, etc. so defense should have just as many options. These should almost act like a “counter move” where if you choose the wrong option you get burnt but pick correctly and you shut the offensive player down and even be to quickly go on the offensive. Options could include simple gap control, puck intercept, big hit or a more dynamic way to steal the puck and quickly get the step forward to turn onto offense. The success would be based on what the offensive player was going to do such as spin/protect puck, try and pass or deke around you. Obviously this might not work as well when we rely so heavily on having a good connection, but it is some extra tools that would be cool to see. Also, the tools for defensemen don’t have to be limited to defending. I’d like to see more options when breaking out of the zone and shots from the point as well. I might be out to lunch here and this wouldn’t work at all, I was just trying to come up with some possible added tools to help with some of the frustrations while forcing offensive players to be more creative and not rely and the same moves every single play. 

@Beauts90 

Thanks for all the suggestions. We're always happy to get some constructive feedback like this. While you can already do what you're saying, I'm sure adding some better tools to make them happen could help alleviate some frustration on defense.

You are absolutely correct that they are we can already do these, but they just aren’t as explosive or specific as they should be in my opinion. I was trying to have more emphasis on making it not only ineffective for trying the same moves over and over again, but to punish guys that do by making the defence able to turn it up much quicker or have the ability to better stick with guys that constantly spin away and make an impossible pass. I also think no matter what it’s difficult to put pressure on players without staying back or having them burn you resulting in sometimes boring, frustrating gameplay. I just thought if they were more specific tools it would result in a better balance between defense and offense, especially for us that find it difficult to just rely on patience, positioning and poking.