NHL13 - 5 Practical Ways to Win More Games - Hurricanes919's Blog

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NHL13 - 5 Practical Ways to Win More Games

Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:37 PM.

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I've played EA Sports NHL franchise since NHL '97. I remember the cover with Florida Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck. I remember the unmatched thrill of scoring a goal and lighting the lamp behind the net. Since those early days I have made serious efforts to learn how to play the game well. NHL 13 is vastly different from other versions of the game and it requires players to re-learn the game mechanics in more ways than one. While this has seemingly been a turn-off for some players, I have found that adjusting to the learning curve makes the game my favorite of the series to date and infinitely more enjoyable to play. I find the gameplay against human and CPU opponents similar in many ways and the advice I'll attempt to share here works evenly against both. Maybe this practical advice is obvious to some. I hope that it helps others get more out of the game. Let us begin.

1. Stop Sprinting
With the 'hustle' button assigned to the left stick, it quickly becomes a habit of some to utilize it more than is really necessary. If you are one of the players who is constantly using the hustle option you may notice that you are holding the opponent scoreless for most of the period or even the game and giving up goals as the period or game winds to a close. This year, more than any other, it is important to make sure your guys are fresh for as long as possible. This is because it is easier than ever to tire them out using the hustle button. Try maintaining a less frantic pace. This will help with more than just keeping your lines fresh (see #2). Digging deep and sprinting to every loose puck may yield results early in the game, but it leaves your players gassed at crucial moments late.

2. Seriously. Stop Sprinting.
With the newly added "True Performance Skating", it is imperative that you keep your skaters at a manageable speed for reacting to the puck and your opponent. Moving faster down the ice means your angle to turn around will be drastically increased and stopping at full speed to turn around and pick up speed going the other way is going to get you burnt 100% of the time. Slow down and allow your skaters to glide when they reach a good speed. It will conserve energy and allow them to make sharper cuts on the ice and not be left in the dust of a breakaway when the puck slips loose in the neutral zone. With a little anticipation of where the puck will go you won't need to sprint everywhere you go.

3. Play Your Position
This isn't just for those playing drop-ins and club games on EASHL. No matter what game mode you are in, it is important to know where your players are supposed to be on the ice at all times. NHL 13 requires you to play a more realistic brand of hockey or else you'll be caught with your pants down when your D man is milling about in the offensive zone. Don't lug the puck over the blue line with your Defense and don't bunch up your forwards at the blue line trying to get it into the zone. Keep the momentum going towards the net. If that means flicking the puck into the corner or wheeling back around with your puck carrying D-Man until a winger is available, then do it. You can't be caught out of position and not expect to give up scoring chances. Not everyone who plays sports video games truly understands the nature of the sport and if you don't understand how hockey is played in real life you may end up finding your turnovers, and therefore goals allowed, skyrocketing in NHL 13.

4. Move the Puck
Notice I didn't say pass the puck? It is totally obvious that you need to pass the puck, at least, I hope. Learning how to consistently make well timed, crisp passes are essential to creating space and scoring opportunities. But sometimes it is just as important to simply get the puck bouncing in another direction. This means using the pressure sensitive Right Trigger and Right Bumper appropriately. It's easy to forget that the saucer pass can be just as or more effective a method of moving the puck as a regular pass. Need to move the puck in front of a net crowded with opponents sticks and skates? Use the Right Bumper to get it bouncing through those obstacles and maybe you'll find it on friendly tape. See your winger skating up ice along the boards but can't find the right angle? Use the saucer pass to gently bounce it off the boards at the right angle for your teammate to pick it up. It's not always a bad thing to move the puck into space without a specific target. Sometimes to stop your opponents attack you just need to saucer it into the neutral zone where your teammate can collect it or at least give your Defense a chance to recover.

5. Embrace the Beautiful Chaos of Ice Hockey
Hockey has become an increasingly less predicable game as the rules and athletes change. In NHL 13, EA took the puck off the string it had been attached to since the early days of the game and gave it the chaotic characteristics it displays in real life. Instead of being frustrated with these (necessary) changes, embrace them. Learn to prepare for awkward bounces and loose pucks. Keep your head on a proverbial swivel and use the options allotted to you by your controller to your advantage. Poke checking loose pucks in the crease can and will score goals and elsewhere on the ice it can create valuable time for teammates to close on the opponent or the puck. When loose pucks begin to bounce towards the boards, remember the Y button! It may seem less effective than trying to swoop it up and move it along but by tying up the puck along the boards and waiting for players to get into position you can maintain possession or create more attack time by kicking it back into your offensive zone.

Of course this is just a tidy list of 5 things to help your game. And of course there is probably 1000 more tips and tricks that could be shared by NHL 13 players. But these particular things have changed the way I enjoy the game this year and have led to better stats and more wins in all modes of the game. I hope that it does the same for you.

Please use the comments section below to share your thoughts on this list or other techniques you have found useful as I'm always looking to improve!