Defense is 99% about being sound in your position. Don't over step, don't get too aggressive. You gotta let the game's mechanics work for you. Let the auto checks do it for you. Use DSS as as a deterrent, not a strike first move. Get in those passing lanes, pick off those pucks. Let forwards make the mistakes. D isn't about stripping pucks and going the other way at the blue line. D is about denying forwards the real estate they want and forcing them into a play they don't want to make.
If you're worried about keeping up and feel like have to turn and skate with them, then you were too slow getting back on D, or were caught sleeping. I'm sorry but I'm convinced a large majority of people are just still not adjusting to how D is to be played now.
Yep. I play as a DDman and I have never felt so useless. My poke check is non existent, my break out passes miss 9/10 times.
DDman?? Holy crap. I haven't seen anyone play this build in a LONG time.
<shrugs>
I play as a DD 95% of the time and it fits my style - I am a stay at home type who rarely jumps into the play. I like blocking shots/passes, and taking the body where it makes sense. The odd missed check or poke/check/trip notwithstanding, for *most part* I do ok so long as I play to that style's strengths (getting in the opponents way) and compensate for its inherent weaknesses (compensate for speed/agility by turning and burn and backskate when I reach the proper gap control).
Seriously guys, try SNP or DNG for your D-men. I was going to say to also roll with D perks on them, but I switched to Passing 2 with Quick Step 2, as well as Iron Lungs (Can't remember the name). I can barely hit unless I have speed, but if I can angle to the boards while forwards are streaking in, I've got some play. Hasn't failed me yet, but I'm waiting for the inevitable string of not being able to do anything on D, no matter what I do.
No offense but I’m assuming you play drop in only? A good forward should be able to navigate around that fairly easily. If your defensive awareness isn’t high enough you’re going to get run over by the better players no matter how good you are. I wouldn’t any forward as a dman unless it’s playmaker (if you don’t care about backchecking) or two way forward. Sniper is a hard no for me
In all seriousness, I am by no means trying to pick a fight with you. Quite contrary as I think your response will probably teach me something, so here goes.
What makes you think defensive awareness actually changes anything in the hands of a human player? I could understand for AI, but don't see any major changes to that perk as a human. I ask you this because I have read alot of your comments and I like the way you think. So please, don't take this as an attack as it is nowhere near my intention.
I find incidental contact to be much more reliable than body checks and when in good position, any class can pick off a pass. That is why I have no issues at all running a Sniper on defense and that class helps me greatly to keep pace with other snipers and danglers. Speed and agility are what matter the most in this game. In any case, when you get average players that don't know how to shrug off checks still get plastered by Snipers, so again, that class works just fine for me on D.
Lol, I dont' play sniper even when I am the offence... that guy has only speed and shot going for him, not my style really.
One has to wonder how people play defence, if that's the best build for it in their mind? I would think you'd have to completely forget about physical side like showing people from front of the goal or hitting them in general. What you most definitely don't need is iron lungs, as a dman I am never out of stamina. Quite the contrary, I always have full green bar.
Maybe I play too conservatively like a DFD really (only use PMD) , but I think that's the only way to be good dman in this game. I do go on the offense occasinally but I pick my moments, and have a winger fill in when I do. I just don't get in situations where I have to chase anyone, if I can help it. I stay between the puck and our goal, and let the opponent come to me. If they don't, I am good with that because it means they can shoot from the outside only. Those SHOULD be easy saves.
I totally get why you think that way.
here's the thing: For my style of D, I favor positioning. By that I mean I try to cover any passing lane in my area while also trying to force a player to the outside. You don't need size or physicality to do this. You need agility and speed to move around and adjust. If a player tries to cut from the corner to the high faceoff circle for the cheese wrister, I then will probably commit to a physical play depending on the opposing player. In those cases, my Sniper can still lay a player out if i time it as he is about to wind up. Again, the speed and agility of that class allows me to commit a little later than a clumsy class player would and I still won't be behind the play. It buys me an extra second or two to react.
For alot of the time in my zone, I move the DSS around and just annoy the carrier hoping he will eventually cough it up. Again, size is not required for this, but speed and agility come in very handy. Sniper does this well enough too.
So with that mindset, there aren't alot of defensive perks that do a whole lot for me. But I can make a difference in the offensive zone. For that reason, most times I will run **** slapper2 as my first trait, quick step 2 as my second trait, and one-timer as my specialty trait. It makes a huge difference offensively when most players just all collapse to the slot. It buys me alot of time to swoop in for a wrister, or pull people out of position as they scramble to cover me and makes for good times to pass the puck. It really opens alot of ice and space for my team mates.
There quite simply isn't a defensive class that can do this for me and honestly, the defensive class advantages are just nowhere worth it to me for the way I play. Bear in mind, I am relatively conservative, extremely rarely behind the play and my stamina is green 98% of the game.
Seriously guys, try SNP or DNG for your D-men. I was going to say to also roll with D perks on them, but I switched to Passing 2 with Quick Step 2, as well as Iron Lungs (Can't remember the name). I can barely hit unless I have speed, but if I can angle to the boards while forwards are streaking in, I've got some play. Hasn't failed me yet, but I'm waiting for the inevitable string of not being able to do anything on D, no matter what I do.
No offense but I’m assuming you play drop in only? A good forward should be able to navigate around that fairly easily. If your defensive awareness isn’t high enough you’re going to get run over by the better players no matter how good you are. I wouldn’t any forward as a dman unless it’s playmaker (if you don’t care about backchecking) or two way forward. Sniper is a hard no for me
In all seriousness, I am by no means trying to pick a fight with you. Quite contrary as I think your response will probably teach me something, so here goes.
What makes you think defensive awareness actually changes anything in the hands of a human player? I could understand for AI, but don't see any major changes to that perk as a human. I ask you this because I have read alot of your comments and I like the way you think. So please, don't take this as an attack as it is nowhere near my intention.
I find incidental contact to be much more reliable than body checks and when in good position, any class can pick off a pass. That is why I have no issues at all running a Sniper on defense and that class helps me greatly to keep pace with other snipers and danglers. Speed and agility are what matter the most in this game. In any case, when you get average players that don't know how to shrug off checks still get plastered by Snipers, so again, that class works just fine for me on D.
And this is how I know you're a competitive D player, because any D man that plays competitively knows that a skilled forward core is based on SNP, DNG, and PWF. Sniper for the speed, Dangler for the handle, and Power Forward for the cross ice one-timer. Keeping up with these kinds of players needs more than just keeping your stick in their way. You have to physically cover these guys move for move, because with the new mechanics this year you're going to get burned. Incidental contact is the way to handle the shifty forwards, and to do that you need to keep up with them.
Seriously guys, try SNP or DNG for your D-men. I was going to say to also roll with D perks on them, but I switched to Passing 2 with Quick Step 2, as well as Iron Lungs (Can't remember the name). I can barely hit unless I have speed, but if I can angle to the boards while forwards are streaking in, I've got some play. Hasn't failed me yet, but I'm waiting for the inevitable string of not being able to do anything on D, no matter what I do.
No offense but I’m assuming you play drop in only? A good forward should be able to navigate around that fairly easily. If your defensive awareness isn’t high enough you’re going to get run over by the better players no matter how good you are. I wouldn’t any forward as a dman unless it’s playmaker (if you don’t care about backchecking) or two way forward. Sniper is a hard no for me
In all seriousness, I am by no means trying to pick a fight with you. Quite contrary as I think your response will probably teach me something, so here goes.
What makes you think defensive awareness actually changes anything in the hands of a human player? I could understand for AI, but don't see any major changes to that perk as a human. I ask you this because I have read alot of your comments and I like the way you think. So please, don't take this as an attack as it is nowhere near my intention.
I find incidental contact to be much more reliable than body checks and when in good position, any class can pick off a pass. That is why I have no issues at all running a Sniper on defense and that class helps me greatly to keep pace with other snipers and danglers. Speed and agility are what matter the most in this game. In any case, when you get average players that don't know how to shrug off checks still get plastered by Snipers, so again, that class works just fine for me on D.
And this is how I know you're a competitive D player, because any D man that plays competitively knows that a skilled forward core is based on SNP, DNG, and PWF. Sniper for the speed, Dangler for the handle, and Power Forward for the cross ice one-timer. Keeping up with these kinds of players needs more than just keeping your stick in their way. You have to physically cover these guys move for move, because with the new mechanics this year you're going to get burned. Incidental contact is the way to handle the shifty forwards, and to do that you need to keep up with them.
Pretty much. I like to be what I would describe as an "active pylon" on D lol. I need the agility to keep up with players when they are constantly shifting around and re position themselves.
I just want to say I think defense is in a good spot. I have been playing both offense and defense, and defense have been bailed out for a couple years by a lockdown incidental contact system when we are supposed to be second liners.
I'm having fun playing defense and don't mind that stuff gets through occasionally because it's supposed to that's hockey.
Last year was overboard on the ability of defense to lock down a game by one person. This year you can still do that as I have been doing so without a problem playing positionally sound hockey and keeping myself between him and the net.
Yes people can snipe this year. That is a benefit before you could not which incentivized cheese goals. At least this year people can make a play without having to cheese out a dman.
I get you all want to be lidstrom but do so under the current system as you've told others before. I ask that you try to adjust to the current tuner. As I am having no trouble with it and it's more of a challenge as I've asked for for a couple years.
Passing has to be tbe biggest problem with defense for me right now.. stretch passes have zero accuracy whatsoever regardless of attributes. It’s crazy bad. I’m not even talking like back d-zone to offensive zone blue line I’m talking about d-zone faceoff circle to red line. What the hell
Replies
i.e.: "Play the position"
<shrugs>
I play as a DD 95% of the time and it fits my style - I am a stay at home type who rarely jumps into the play. I like blocking shots/passes, and taking the body where it makes sense. The odd missed check or poke/check/trip notwithstanding, for *most part* I do ok so long as I play to that style's strengths (getting in the opponents way) and compensate for its inherent weaknesses (compensate for speed/agility by turning and burn and backskate when I reach the proper gap control).
In all seriousness, I am by no means trying to pick a fight with you. Quite contrary as I think your response will probably teach me something, so here goes.
What makes you think defensive awareness actually changes anything in the hands of a human player? I could understand for AI, but don't see any major changes to that perk as a human. I ask you this because I have read alot of your comments and I like the way you think. So please, don't take this as an attack as it is nowhere near my intention.
I find incidental contact to be much more reliable than body checks and when in good position, any class can pick off a pass. That is why I have no issues at all running a Sniper on defense and that class helps me greatly to keep pace with other snipers and danglers. Speed and agility are what matter the most in this game. In any case, when you get average players that don't know how to shrug off checks still get plastered by Snipers, so again, that class works just fine for me on D.
I totally get why you think that way.
here's the thing: For my style of D, I favor positioning. By that I mean I try to cover any passing lane in my area while also trying to force a player to the outside. You don't need size or physicality to do this. You need agility and speed to move around and adjust. If a player tries to cut from the corner to the high faceoff circle for the cheese wrister, I then will probably commit to a physical play depending on the opposing player. In those cases, my Sniper can still lay a player out if i time it as he is about to wind up. Again, the speed and agility of that class allows me to commit a little later than a clumsy class player would and I still won't be behind the play. It buys me an extra second or two to react.
For alot of the time in my zone, I move the DSS around and just annoy the carrier hoping he will eventually cough it up. Again, size is not required for this, but speed and agility come in very handy. Sniper does this well enough too.
So with that mindset, there aren't alot of defensive perks that do a whole lot for me. But I can make a difference in the offensive zone. For that reason, most times I will run **** slapper2 as my first trait, quick step 2 as my second trait, and one-timer as my specialty trait. It makes a huge difference offensively when most players just all collapse to the slot. It buys me alot of time to swoop in for a wrister, or pull people out of position as they scramble to cover me and makes for good times to pass the puck. It really opens alot of ice and space for my team mates.
There quite simply isn't a defensive class that can do this for me and honestly, the defensive class advantages are just nowhere worth it to me for the way I play. Bear in mind, I am relatively conservative, extremely rarely behind the play and my stamina is green 98% of the game.
And this is how I know you're a competitive D player, because any D man that plays competitively knows that a skilled forward core is based on SNP, DNG, and PWF. Sniper for the speed, Dangler for the handle, and Power Forward for the cross ice one-timer. Keeping up with these kinds of players needs more than just keeping your stick in their way. You have to physically cover these guys move for move, because with the new mechanics this year you're going to get burned. Incidental contact is the way to handle the shifty forwards, and to do that you need to keep up with them.
Pretty much. I like to be what I would describe as an "active pylon" on D lol. I need the agility to keep up with players when they are constantly shifting around and re position themselves.
I'm having fun playing defense and don't mind that stuff gets through occasionally because it's supposed to that's hockey.
Last year was overboard on the ability of defense to lock down a game by one person. This year you can still do that as I have been doing so without a problem playing positionally sound hockey and keeping myself between him and the net.
Yes people can snipe this year. That is a benefit before you could not which incentivized cheese goals. At least this year people can make a play without having to cheese out a dman.
I get you all want to be lidstrom but do so under the current system as you've told others before. I ask that you try to adjust to the current tuner. As I am having no trouble with it and it's more of a challenge as I've asked for for a couple years.
Thank you EA I genuinely appreciate this game.