Xbox 360 3 Key Elements to Win More in NHL 13

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3 Key Elements to Win More in NHL 13​

It’s often hard to figure out what’s really at stake in a game of NHL – hockey is a game where goals can be scored from just about anywhere on the ice once you’re past the central zone, so what exactly is taken into account in a video game to determine when the puck goes in or not? Well, when it comes to sport video games, this is a secret of nature (programming nature!) for all of use to figure out, but if you want some kind of guidelines for NHL 13, keep reading. I’ve put together 3 key elements that you absolutely can’t ignore if you want to win more in NHL 13.


Rebounds

Rebounds are a pretty major deal in NHL 13, even if a lot of us wouldn't want it to be this way. You will want to be effective at both performing and blocking them. On offense, it is recommended that you use the Crash the Net offensive strategy so that your attackers head towards the net on the rush and put their hands on more rebounds. On defense, things get a little more difficult, but it could be summed up like this: don't always focus on the player with puck. If the attacker with the puck doesn't have a real good angle or enough speed to make a dangerous push for the net, chances are that he will go for a pass or a shot that would result in a good rebound. In that situation, switch your defender to swipe (pokecheck) the front the net or create traffic and interference to the attacker looking to take the potential rebound. Attackers are much more likely to put a rebound in the net if they are in the clear and can easily receive the puck, so try to mess up the play in any way possible.


The Slot

The other key element to NHL 13 is what’s called the slot. The slot is this area in front of the net where high scoring chances and shots occur. The game seems to reward a lot the shots coming from the slot this year, and that’s why you must concentrate your defensive efforts on it. Scoring opportunities by going back from behind the net or by shooting from the sides aren’t really effective methods this time around, so the attackers’ objective will mainly be to come back in front the net to get a real good shot. The main things to remember to lock down the slot is to never chase a player too long for no reason and to make sure the front of the net is always covered. Also, keep your eyes on the broad picture of things and don’t only focus on where the puck currently is. Finally, if your opponent ever manages to create some space to attempt a shot in the slot, don’t panic and visually try to figure how much time he needs to pull off a good shot – in a lot of instances, your opponent will need to wind up his shot a little to get more power (especially in the high slot) so you will have more time to counter him.


Avoiding Penalties

Penalties are a more secondary element than the two previous ones we've covered, but they can still cost you the game. More precisely, they can cost you some precious time to comeback when you are behind on the scoreboard, or give some more room for opportunities to your opponent when you're in the lead. Putting the few random CPU-controlled penalties aside (you will have to live with them like everyone else), there are definitely some behaviors that you can adopt to practically eliminate all user-caused penalties from your play. The mains ones are to 1) never pokecheck from behind and 2) to never use the stick lift button. There are some exceptions to these two rules, but overall doing this will keep you out of the penalty box. The stick lift was a viable option in previous games, but now stick lifting in even the most perfect position could get you to the penalty box. Then, never pokechecking from behind is an obvious piece of advice, but really start to think ahead on the ice and move your players so that you are never tempted to do it. Pokechecking are thrown sparingly all game long and it often becomes a reflex to tap it constantly, and a single tap in the wrong spot can put you a man down. Of course, also stay away from exaggerated checks from behind and interference on the other goalie and opponents without the puck.

In conclusion, winning more in NHL is often about breaking the game down into separate parts and make sure you do better and better in each of them. Random goals happen all the time (that’s the nature of the game), but by working on every facet of your game, you will be able to slowly put the odds back in your favor to get a winning record in whatever league you’re playing. Remember, you will win some and lose some!