1 on 1 Dekes

1 on 1 Dekes are tricky to get right, but if you follow a few simple rules, you will soon have the confidence to pull off some really effective dekes in the game. Dont worry about what type of deke youre going to do (ex Windmill, Between the Legs etc), let the computer handle that, your goal is to focus on timing and following the simple rules.

Rule #1: The sticks move together.

It is important to keep the sticks aimed in the same direction when you attempt your deke. The right stick controls where the puck goes and the left stick controls the direction of your deke. So if you want the puck to end up where you end up, then keep the sticks aimed in the same direction.

Rule #2: Skate in the direction of the deke first, then deke.

You need a little momentum in the direction of the deke before you attempt it or you will find your skater unable to make any sort of significant direction change with the deke. If I am planning to deke to the right, I move the left stick in that direction for a split second before I deke. If I want to do a quick stop and deke back the other way, I have to push the left stick in the opposite direction before I deke. You dont actually have to start skating in that direction, you just have to let it know thats the direction you are planning to go.

Rule #3: Give yourself some room.

They are called 1 on 1 dekes for a reason. Dont be a hero and try to deke around three guys in the slot. Use the 1 on 1 dekes to get around single defenders so that you can get into the slot. Make sure the area where you are dekeing into is clear of defenders before you attempt the deke, because you can lose the puck very easily while performing the deke if you get bumped or someone gets a stick in the way.

So here is my deke thought process:
1. I see a defender coming in for a check, stick lift or poke.
2. I see open ice to my right.
3. I get ready to time my deke as the defender gets closer.
4. Right before I deke, I push the left stick directly right.
5. Then I quickly recenter both sticks and then push both sticks to the right and press L1 simultaneously.

I find that dekeing directly left and right is most successful. Also right after a quick stop, you can lose the defender by quickly dekeing back the other way.

(Videos to follow soon)

Spin-O-Rama Goal

This is a fun one to try. Just use the large face-off circle as a guide to position yourself. You will have to hold the "protect puck button" (Button A for Xbox 360) as you make that sharp turn around the circle. Once you hit the bottom of the circle, pull off a counterclockwise spin-o-rama. When you get past the goalie, aim your shot to the farside of the goal. As long as you dont run into too much traffic in the crease, you should be able to beat the goalie.

If you need a refresher on Spin-o-ramas, check out this post: http://nhl09perfectionist.blogspot.com/2009/02/spin-o-rama.html

Farside Goals

This is a must know tip for when you are approaching the net from the side or from behind. You can beat the goalie on the far side by dekeing the puck out away from the goalie. By dekeing the puck out, you have increased the radius of your shot sweep. When you get close to the goalie, use that extra radius to swing your shot around the goalie and into the farside of the goal. The dekes you should use are straight left or straight right on the right stick, depending on which side you are approaching from.

Potter has a great post on deke positions. Get comfortable with each position so you can pull off the right deke at the right time. http://eanhl09.blogspot.com/2009/03/deke-guide.html

Screens

Shots from the point are medium to low percentage shots at best but if they are set up correctly, they can be a real offensive strength. One of the ways to increase your chance of scoring from the point is to wait for your forwards to screen the goalie. If you have the puck at the point, the forwards will naturally come in front of the goal to screen the goalie. When you see the forward skating towards the front of the goal, get ready to slap it top shelf. You'll know it was a successful screen because the goalie won't react. Look for these opportunities when the defense is making it tough to get it low in the slot.

Behind the Net

The Behind the Net strategy is about cycling the puck around the net and setting up One-Timers. The basic starting setup for Behind the Net is a triangle formation with your forwards around the net. Carry the puck directly behind the net and this will trigger your other (2) forwards to setup in front of the net on the left and right sides. From here, you have the option of bringing the puck around the net from the left or right. When you do, this will trigger your other forwards to cycle around the net. You could cycle your forwards around the net all day if you wanted to (see video below) - but Ill show you some options to shoot in case you get bored.

1. One-Timer

Get your forwards setup in the triangle formation with the puck behind the net. Decide which side has less traffic and move the puck carrier around in front of the net. Your other forwards should cycle with you. Now you have another decision, if the passing lane is clear - pass it to other forward as he is moving across the net for a one-timer. If you time your pass right, your forward will be lined up with the opposite goal post for a great shot right inside the post while the goalie is out of position. If the passing lane is blocked, then you can cycle it back behind the net and try again, possibly cycling the other way.

2. Defensive Help

As youre cycling your forwards, sometimes your defense will rotate into the cycle. It depends on the position of your defensemen and which way you are cycling the puck. If you see your defensemen moving in, pass the puck to him for a one-timer. Aim low so that your forwards have a chance to pickup a rebound.

3. Point Shot

If the slot is packed with defenders, carry the puck to the outside boards and up to the point. Your defensemen should move to the center. Pass him the puck for either a one-timer in the high slot position, or if you have time wait there for a second until one of your forwards comes in front of the net for a screen.

Reverse Shot

The Reverse Shot is a high percentage shot when you are right in front of the goalie. Getting a shot right in front of the goal is great, but if the goalie is in position it can be hard to get your shot around him. First I want to look at the mechanics of shooting. Its pretty basic in that if your player is right handed and the puck is to your right, then you shoot a forehand. If the puck is to the left, then a backhand. To set up this shot, you have to approach from the side of the goal. Lets say you are coming in from the left side of the goal. As you are approaching the goalie, deke the puck out to the right. Hold the deke, and push back on the left stick. Youll notice while your holding a deke, you can use the left stick to rotate your player around, so by pressing back on the stick, you turn your player in a clockwise manner. The objective here is to take a backhand shot, and to do that you need the puck to be on the left side of you in respect to the goalie. When you rotate your player enough so that the puck is to the left of your body, then take the shot. The goalie will be out of position, and the backhand shot will go in. Confused? Watch the video.

Wrap Around Goals

Skating around the back of the net and wristing a shot at goal is not a wrap around goal. Some of you may not realize it, but there is a specific "wrap around" animation that is triggered if you shoot at a specific time. When skating behind the goal, if you shoot when your player is coming around behind the post, your player will automatically go into an animation where he stretches out and tries to wrap the puck right inside the post. Your success is determined by when you time your shot, your angle coming around the back of the goal, and the goalies position. A lot of times, the goalie will stuff your shot, and the puck will get trapped between the goalie and the post. If you poke check at it and get your stick right in between the post and the goalie before the whistle is blown, you can push the puck in for a goal. In the videos I show a successful backhand wrap around goal, and a few stuffed attempts.

Crash the Net

There are 3 different full strength offensive strategies: Overload, Crash the Net and Behind the Net. Ill start with Crash the Net and show you how to use this strategy very effectively.

The next four plays are based on one simply principle. Drawing a double team and opening up the slot. The idea is to bring a wingman down the side and "collect" a couple of defensemen and draw them up to the point. If youre successful in drawing the double team, then pass it to the point, and skate towards the center. You'll have a lot of scoring options in front of you. Ill start with the easiest.

Option 1: Drive the pointman to the goal.
Since you have successfully opened the slot, if you can maneuver your pointman past a couple of poke checks and get him to the goal before the defense realizes its mistake, you have a great opportunity to score. Do a One-Two Deke right in front of the goalie and youre one goal richer.



Option 2: Give and Go
Do the exact same thing, but instead of driving to the goal you are going to pass to your wingman who should be breaking towards the goal. This is the great thing about Crash the Net, your wingman will drive towards the goal after he passes to the point. This doesnt happen in the other strategies. Slip a pass through the double team, and your wingman is on a breakaway with a wide open slot. You'll be coming in at an angle to the goal, so it is going to be more difficult to score so be smart and watch the goalie for an opening.




Option 3: Give and Go One Timer
Same setup as last time. Give and go to the wing, but once the wingman gets close to the goal, the center defensman is going to move in to help. This will leave your other wingman open for a one timer. You may have more success with this than Option 2 because it leaves the goalie out of position.



Option 4: Around the World
This is my favorite. Once your wingman passes to the point, instead of the give and go, cycle it around your offense. The wingman is still going to cut towards the middle, so pass it from the opposite wingman right in front of the goal. The goalie will flop, and you will have all the time you need to flip it in the goal. This is a great play, but it is the most difficult to pull off. You have to count on your team to not drop a pass, which can be difficult when the defense constantly checks your men in the slot. This will be an awe inspiring goal when it happens.

Spin-o-Rama

A goal setup with a spin-o-rama is the ultimate highlight reel move. To perfect the spin-o-rama, you have to know when to use it and which way to spin. First practice getting the spin-o-rama move down, so you can pull it off at will. Hold down Vision Control and move the right stick straight left or right, then a half circle away from the direction you are skating. Now that you have it down, the next step is figuring out when to use it. Lets say you are skating up the right side. Keep the defender on the inside and push the right stick left, so the puck is out in front of the defender, taunting him to poke check at it. Anticipate his poke check, and then do the half circle away. Do this move while you are cutting toward the goal slightly, so that when you do spin around the defender, you are setup right in front of the goalie and not heading towards the boards. Finish with a quick deke and shot for an awesome goal to finish your highlight reel. (Hopefully your's goes in, unlike in my video - I should have deked to the backhand shot)

Winning Face-Offs

Winning face-off's means more time on offense, which means more shots on goal, and eventually more goals in the end. Timing is everything on face-offs. When playing online, there is always going to be a little lag involved, and knowing this will give you the edge. In a lag free game (like playing against the computer), the correct time to strike is when the puck hits the ice like in real hockey. In a game with lag (playing online), the correct time to strike is when the referee lifts his arm. There is really no warning and the time before he lifts his arm is a little different for each faceoff, so you have to be ready. By strike, I mean pull the right stick back towards one of your teammates behind you. I usually chose to pass back to the teammate farthest from the boards because you have more options that way. You can either skate or pass it up the center, are pass it back to the boards and skate up the sides.

The One -Two Deke

So you just connected that long pass and youre on a breakaway. Its just you and the goalie, and the defense is nipping at your heels. You have a few seconds to make a decision. What you need is a reliable, easy move that will get you that goal. The first breakaway goal move that proved to be successful for me was what I call the One-Two Deke. Technically its pretty easy, the hard part is in the timing. The stick movement is straight left, straight right, (or straight right, straight left if you prefer) then quarter circle up to shoot. The timing is going to take practice. Do this right infront of the goalie and you have a pretty high percentage goal shot. Too early and you wont fool the goalie. Too late and your shooting past the goal. Practice this in Practice Mode 1 on 0 until you get this down. This will be a good go to move when you get that breakaway opportunity.

Aiming

Aiming is probably the hardest thing to get used to, so it takes the most practice to get it down fluidly. The trick to aiming is to aim soft. The aiming is sensitive, where if you aim the left stick all the way left, your shot will go way left missing the goal completely and hitting the glass behind it. So if "all the way left" is 100%, then go about 75-80% left to get a shot that will stay inside the goal. Thats the tricky part. When your skating towards the goal, your left stick is controlling your movement and your left stick should be at 100%, but when your ready to shoot, pull back to 75-80% and you should see your shots hitting the goal more. The other factor is your players offensive skill score. If your shooting with Ovechkin with a 94 in offense, then your shots are going to be more accurate, and you may not need aim as softly.

Timing a One-Timer

How frustrating is it to whiff a perfectly setup one-timer that would have given you the lead and won you the game? I cant tell you how many times this happen to me and I would slam the controller in frustration. There are two things that can make you miss a one-timer; a bad pass and a late swing. You cant do anything against a bad pass to a one-timer. EA put in bad passes as a way to make the games more interesting and add a little randomness to the mix. Sometimes when making a pass it will just be off target and your player will just whiff it; nothing really you could have done differently. It may be based on your players skill level or whatever; it just happens so let it slide. But what about when your player just stands there without swinging and freezes like an idiot and lets the puck cross right in front of him? This time you can do something about it. The problem was you hit up on the right stick too late. As soon as you pass it, hold the right stick up. It should almost feel like one motion. Pass then immediately hold up on the shoot stick. This doesnt mean you have to aim at the same time you shoot. Aiming registers when your player hits the puck, so you have a second longer to aim your shot.
Be sure to read the post on aiming so that your shots dont end up hitting the glass behind the goal.

Skating

Dont skim past this section because you are anxious to get to the "Shooting" part. Skating is important in order to protect the puck and get in high percentage shots. Skating to avoid the defense was my first real breakthrough in NHL09. I was able to get more time in the offense zones and setup better shots.
The first thing you should learn is the cutback. When skating up the sidelines into the offensive zone, I kept getting trapped and hammered into the boards. Plus, with the addition of poke checks and stick lifts, it is even harder to hold onto the puck. Try this technique to get past the defense and protect the puck. When skating side by side with the defense, circle away from your opponent and cut towards the inside (dont hold down Vision Control while doing this, you want to be facing away from the goal while doing this move). This technique keeps your body inbetween your opponent and the puck, safe from poke checks and stick lifts. The tighter you can make these turns, the easier it will be for you to get by them. Now try a double cutback. After youve made your initial turn and the defense responds and turns to follow you, cutback the other way and now your off and running with the defense left to play catch up.

Vision Control Goal 1

The main function of the Vision Control button is to keep your player focused on the target. When on offense, it keeps your skater facing the goal. On defense, it keeps your skater facing the puck. For now, I would like to discuss using Vision Control on offense. There is a way you can take advantage of the Vision Control button to do some pretty funky stuff and pull off some cool goals. So Vision Control keeps your skater looking at the goal when pressed, right? Take a right handed skater and skate from right to left in front of the goal. When crossing in front of the goal, release the Movement Stick (Left Stick) and press the Vision Control Button. Your skater will turn to face towards the goal and as you skate past the goal, your skater will start skating backwards. The goalie will follow your body leaving the right side post, and as you turn your puck will drag and stay in front of the goal giving you a perfect shot on the far side.

Vision Control Goal 2

Here is another version of the first Vision Control Goal I showed you above. The difference is I came at the goal at less of an angle, held onto the puck a little longer and shot top left. This one is harder to pull off, and your chances of scoring are less - but i think it has a little more flair with the added difficulty. Notice how when I shoot, Im practically behind the goal line. Very Cool!

Vision Control Goal 3

Maybe some of you have had this move done to you in a shootout. There is an argument that this goal may be what they call a "cheese goal" or a goal with a very high percentage of going in (like 100%). I would say that you should refrain from using this in a shootout, just because it degrades the competition, and after a tough match that goes into a shootout, it would be a shame to win it on a "cheese goal". Instead of just going for the win, try to master a really unique shootout goal, that will blow the opponent away with your skill, even if it doesnt go in all the time. This goal uses the same concept as Vision Control Goals 1 & 2, only on a much subtle scale. My skater still comes at the goalie at an angle, although it is so small its hard to tell. When I get closer to the goal, I let go of the Movement Stick and press Vision Control. When I press Vision Control, the game thinks "ok, time to spin the player to face the goal." But since Im pretty much already facing the goal, it overcompensates and spin me around backwards! At this point, just shoot a wrister to the top right corner and it should go in almost everytime. Try to line up your player so that there is a gap between the goalie and the post. Again, try not to use this during a shootout, expecially against a worthy opponent. It is very difficult to pull of during a game, so I would say go right ahead and give it a try during regulation time.