NHL 25 Best Defensive Strategies and Tips

In recent years, a common complaint among fans of the NHL series has been that it has become increasingly difficult to defend, as each new addition seems to introduce changes that render defensive actions even less effective. This has led to a premium on learning how to effectively defend in NHL 25 without being blown by on missed checks or sent to the box for a poke check or stick lift gone awry. If you’re struggling to keep the puck out of your net, these strategies and tips can help!

Secure The Puck

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. In transition sports like hockey you are often at your most vulnerable immediately after turning over the puck when you haven’t had time to set your defense up properly. It’s important to be mindful of the puck in the offensive zone to avoid passes to lanes or players that risk an interception for a break, as this can lead to costly odd-man rushes.

Use Your Positioning

While nerfing the various checking styles can be problematic for defensive play, your players are still big boys taking up real space on the ice, and you should use this to your advantage. Staying between your opponent’s scoring threats and the net, and generally working to deny easy access to the high-scoring zones, is critical. When it’s hard to get the puck off your opponent, you need to at least keep your opponent out of places they’re likely to score with it.

Show Patience On Exits

While puck discipline in the offensive and neutral zones is important, in the defensive zone it’s critical. Panicked attempts to get it out quickly can lead to costly turnovers that the other team immediately punishes by getting the puck on net from a high danger zone before you have the time to properly set up your defense. It’s better to choose a safe option and maintain possession than risk a highly volatile play that can lead to a turnover in your own zone.

Sometimes A Faceoff Is Fine

One critical area where some gamers massively hurt their chances is in distribution with their goalies. Defensive zone face-offs can be scary due to their ability to generate high-value scoring chances for the offensive team. As a result, when your goalie makes a save that sees him holding onto the puck, it can be tempting to do everything you can to get the puck out of his control and to a skater as soon as possible.

While this is a great thought when you have clear ice to make the exchange, dropping into contentious situations can lead to brutal turnovers right on the doorstep of your goal, which can quickly sink your game. You’ll never feel dumber than immediately after you drop the puck right onto the stick of your opponent’s goal mouth pest to be comfortably tucked past you.

Learn Your Opponent’s Tendencies

When playing against online opponents you’re not just playing against the talent on the ice, but also the talent on the control sticks. Different players have different approaches and watching how your opponent likes to attack is critical. This allows you to shape your defense to shut down their favorite options while also increasing your chance to blow up plays and trigger your own odd-man breaks to get high value chances at the other end.

Pay Attention To Their Players

Another important consideration is the talent that’s on the ice at a given time. If Connor McDavid is barreling down the ice toward you, then you may not be best positioned to make a masterclass defensive intervention and instead could benefit from trying to shield and marshal away from the danger zones. Identifying the players most susceptible to your defensive actions can help you hone in on the right times and places to make your defensive attacks.

Read The Passing Lanes

With the game engine making it harder to separate a player who is on the puck it makes it all the more important to take advantage of times when it’s free. Pay attention to the passing lanes and learn to anticipate the likely passes an opponent will make when trying to set up their offense. Not only does intercepting a pass en route allow you to use your stick without fear of a tripping or hooking call, it also can result in fast breaks or odd-man rushes when you successfully intercept a horizontal pass while your player is moving vertically.

Don’t Chase The Puck

A common mistake gamers can make with their players is getting too caught up in following the puck all over the rink. Even the fastest skater can’t move faster than the puck, so if you spend the game constantly moving your controlled player toward the puck you may be leaving yourself exposed. Collapsing after players you’re not going to get the puck off anyhow pulls your defenders out of possession, opens up new passing lanes and gives your opponent all the chances they need to cut you apart.

Don’t Be Afraid To Take Point

Another major complaint among gamers in the most recent NHL game is the defensive awareness levels of computer-controlled teammates, specifically that these levels seem to be just a hair above zero. When you can’t count on your AI teammates to effectively shut down opposing attacks, you expose yourself significantly on the defensive end. If you find that your teammates are not carrying their weight, it is crucial to take a more proactive approach to adjust so that you are always in control of the player who most needs to improve their situation in the moment. This will help you best maintain your defensive shape and minimize scoring chances against you.

NHL 25 is an offensive player’s game, that much is clear, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t work to improve your team’s defensive performance. While you may still find yourself at the whims of the engine’s lax approach to the stopping side of the game from time to time, these tips should help you get more positive outcomes, while your offensive possessions get to feast on less-seasoned defensive opposition. Good luck applying them your next time on the digital ice!

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