NHL 18 - A Beginner's Guide to Goalie

[jmoney2436]

Hello everyone. Tons of goalie tips here to help you guys get started in net for NHL18. There will be lots more tips and competitive gameplay headed your way I'll leave the goalie tips below for those who may not have time to watch it. Any questions feel free to ask!

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Control Settings

• Default - Butterfly = RT/R2 , Post Hold = LB/L1 , Precision Modifier = LT/L2

• Alternate - Butterfly = LT/L2 , Post Hold = RT/R2 , Precision Modifier = LB/L1

There is NO advantage between the two. Find out which controls you are most comfortable with for these specific controls as they are the main difference.

Precision Movement Default

Nearly all of our goalie movements should be with precision movement as the movements are much more controlled and it is rare to need a T-push. The only time I T-push is if I get knocked out of the crease. I would suggest that you keep this set to ON however there are some goalies in the community who prefer to have this as OFF. If you are one of those goalies that means you'll have to hold down the precision modifier the entire time and you'll let go if you want to use a T-push.


Auto-Cover

If you have this on your goalie will try to cover up any loose pucks close to him, but the cover-ups definitely have a reputation for missing a lot of loose pucks. If you have it set to OFF, you will be responsible for covering up the puck with the Y or Triangle button. You will have more control but this will lead to more rebound opportunities for the other team if you have a slow reaction. I usually have mine set to ON as I believe it helps me more than it hurts me but there's no significant advantage. I suggest you try them both out and see which one helps you out more.

Auto-Sweep

I have this set to on as it is rare for this auto-animation to bite you in the ***. It definitely helps more than it hurts.
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Camera Angles

• Top-Down Style Cameras (Overhead, Zone, Classic) - You can see the entire ice which is very helpful for knowing where everyone is on the ice. This is very helpful for reading/recognizing the open man for one timers or set plays in general. Another plus is that the camera doesn't (or rarely) moves when the puck is in your zone. Some goalies prefer that consistency in a camera. The main disadvantage is that it can be tough to know if you are in position as your angles are harder to read with the camera positioned much further away compared to other cameras.

• Up-Close Cameras (Low, High, Dynamic Low/Med/High) - Basically the opposite of the previous cameras. The camera is much closer to the action giving you the more immersive feel. It's much easier to know whether you have your angles covered to make a save. The main disadvantage is that you cannot see the entire ice. This will mean there are moments where some skaters will be outside of your view. For some goalies this can be a problem as they prefer to see as much as possible (like me). If you are comfortable sensing where the other players are based on the situation then this may be the camera style for you.

• Hybrid Style Cameras (Fixed, Action, Ice*) - These are a middle ground of the previous cameras. You can see almost the entire ice and the camera is close enough to read angles. It may not be 'close enough' to some peoples liking and the camera does rotate when the puck goes into the corners in case you are someone who prefers a still camera. My personal camera is Fixed with my next favorite being Overhead as I like to see the entire ice.

ICE- It's an unique camera in that it does show just about the entire ice (similar to classic) but the camera does move side to side which goes against tradition top-down style cameras.

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Basic Positioning

Play slightly more towards the center of the crease that you probably think. Trust your limbs to make the saves. If the puck gets in close and at a sharp angle, then you'll need to be more aware of your angles.

In general you don't need to be as aggressive compared to a real NHL goalie. Most of the time if your depth should be the middle of the crease with an exception here and there.

• Slot - When the puck is in the slot, stand in the middle of the crease. You'll have your angles covered and you'll have time to move to the left or right if they try a one timer towards either one of your posts. IF he's winding up or loading a wrister and you know he's trying to snipe a corner, then you can move up towards the top of the crease to cut down the angle.

• Wide Points - If the puck is in the Wide Points, play slightly towards the middle of the crease and made sure your feet are just ahead of the post. This will help make sure you have your angles covered for a shot or deflection attempt and this will help have more rebounds have a better chance of getting kicked to the corner.

• Half Boards - Since this is a low % shot, you don't need to be overaggressive, its a common mistake a lot of goalies make. Line up your pads with the post and this will shorten the distance to move left or right if they try a cross crease.

• Wide Angle Shots - This is where you NEED to make sure you have shortside covered as goalie's have a hard time making saves from this angle. You can use the stand up post hug OR move yourself just ahead of the post and you should have the angle covered.

• Corner - Pucks in the corner are very situational. You can hug but if there's an obvious pass in front of the net, get off the post and get ready to make the save. The key thing to remember they can't score from the corner so you don't have to hold the post if you see a scoring threat in front of your net.

• Behind your Net - Drop to Butterfly and stay still until the skater commits to one side, then you can move towards that post. Since you are already in butterfly when you hold the post your goalie will go into the RVH position.

• Most skaters will try to go for a backhand wrap because the animation is much faster than the forehand.* If the skater goes to the forehand side but does NOT come in front of the net, it is mostly likely a centering pass.

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Movement Control Tips

Tracking the puck carrier is a very basic, yet very important skill to avoid giving up weak goals.

• The further away a skater is, he'll need to take 3-4 strides before you'll even have to move a little bit to cover the angle (be patient). REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR MOVEMENTS CONTROLLED WITH A SMALL PUSH WITH THE LEFT STICK. This will help your goalie stay controlled and save cross grain shots if they try to shoot across body. Full pushes of the left stick are better used for when the other team does longer passes in your zone.

• When playing goalie Stand up AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE to keep your movements under control. Save those big, aggressive moves for when you need them.

• Drop to butterfly when the puck gets in close or to protect your 5-hole from a deflection.
• While in butterfly its' much harder stay controlled moving left and right meaning you will get beat against teams that know how to move the puck.

• The right stick is a type of desperation move that should be used if you are waaay out of position. The right stick is a very aggressive move that can help make some really flashy saves but it you use it at the wrong time you'll slide out of position and you'll end up allowing more goals than you're preventing.

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Desperation Moves

• VSpread, Flying Poke - Down on LS + X (or square) and Up on LS + X (or square) - Can be useful to catch skaters off guard in breakaways

• Dive Left, Dive Right - Left or Right on LS + X (or square) -
• Should only be used if you are way out of position. Basically an all or nothing.

• Stacking the Pads - Left or Right on LS + B (or circle) - Fun move for highlight reels. You can make a decent amount of saves if the shooter is in close and can't elevate the puck over your pads. If you turn off Precision Movement (via the modifier) you can cover a lot more distance sliding across to stack the pads.

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Helpful Tips!

• During a breakaway, a cool trick to read the skater is to see which of your posts he cuts to just after he reaches the final hashmarks. If the skater has any speed, it will be hard for him to make a second cut. If you are still unsure then a desperation move like the flying poke or spread-V can come in handy.

• When the puck is behind your net, if you switch posts by accident, quickly use the LS or RS to cancel the post switch and go back to your original post! Helpful against skaters who like to dance behind the net trying to get a quick wrap against you.

[oilersfan99]

Great tips. I've been enjoying playing goalie this year. I find it's so much easier

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

[jmoney2436]

Quote: Originally Posted by oilersfan99

Great tips. I've been enjoying playing goalie this year. I find it's so much easier Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

Thank you. I'm having a lot of fun with goalie as well

[jmoney2436]

SAVING ONE TIMERS AND CROSS CREASES

One timers are the most common way teams will try to score in the NHL series. These plays are usually caused by defensive breakdowns (because everything is always a goalies fault lol) but if you know how to get yourself in the right position and read these plays before they happen you will bail your team out with a ton of saves and your teammates will be thanking you. These tips will work for 6s, 3s, and arcade 3s because the fundamentals are the same across all modes.

DONT CHEAT

Cheating is not the same as making reads. When you cheat you are putting all of your eggs in one basket, the pass. Top players will notice this and take the easy shortside goal. One timers will rarely be our fault but we need to do the best job possible to give ourselves a chance at both the shortside shot and the one timer.

Saving one timers and being an elite goalie comes down to 3 things.

• Good Starting Position

• Reading plays by finding skaters left open

• Knowing which movement control to use when the pass happens

I talked about positioning in my basic tips and tricks video. It shows a basic blueprint of where you should be in the crease depending on the pucks location in your zone.

Here is a link if you are interested: https://youtu.be/lzE5b1yMZ-g

Positioning

It's important to try to give up some depth in your crease whenever possible. Obviously don't sit on the goal line because you will get sniped. Moving slightly deeper in the crease (and still having your angles covered) helps cut down the distance you would need to move to the other side if a one timer happens. Would you rather want to move 2 feet or 4 to make a save? Obviously 2.

Reading The Ice

Now that we have good positioning next up is the read. As goalies we need to keep track of everyone on the ice and see who is a scoring threat. If you can see the open man, so can the other team. This defenseman is uncovered. It doesn't mean a one timer is going to happen but now we can prepare for what to do if the pass happens.

Movement Controls

On most one timers, especially when its from the middle of the ice, use ONLY the left stick. If we use a butterfly slide or the right stick we risk sliding out of the crease and leaving an open net. After you make the save be ready to drop to butterfly to protect the low part of the net in case there are any rebounds.

Right Stick

Sometimes the left stick isn't fast enough. There's times were we need to cover a lot more distance very quickly. This is when we use the right stick. The right stick is a very aggressive move and if you time it right it leads to really flashy saves. It's very helpful if you are moving towards your glove side. Right stick blocker side isn't as efficient. It can still work but the blocker animations aren't as effective.

What if I need to move quickly to my blocker side? That is a good question and there is a trick we can do for that whether its for a one timer or a rebound. Use the left stick towards your blocker side, and hold down the butterfly and post button to quickly slide directly to the post. I use this when the person taking the shot is close to my net and at a wide angle. The fact that this move stops you at the post is a nice bonus because it prevents you from sliding out of the crease and since you're on the post it makes it easier to change direction if they try an extra pass.

Hope you guys like these goalie tips. Any questions or feedback is more than welcome

[jmoney2436]

Hows it going everyone. Today's goalie tip video will be about post play and stopping wraps. Knowing when to hold the post is very important in competitive play as top teams will take advantage of goalies who struggle with their posts.

• The first tip about post play is very simple. When you are on the post, hold down the post button and only let go when you are planning to leave the post. EA does have a toggle feature but that means you would have to constantly repress the post button every time you wanted to switch posts. Keep it simple and holding down the post button will be much easier.

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• Reverse VH Position (RVH) - To enter the RVH, aim the left stick towards your post and at the same time press butterfly and the post button. Also if you simply use the RS when the puck is behind the net you will automatically enter the RVH. This is used to stop wraparounds and cover as much of the net as possible when skaters come from behind the goal line and try to snipe shortside.

For Wraps: Post to post movement has been sped up in NHL18 so wrap arounds should be easier to save and are almost always our fault if we get wrapped. To avoid getting faked by skaters behind the net its best to switch posts when the puck lines up with the middle of your net. Remember that top skaters will mostly likely go with the backhand wrap as the animation is much faster than the forehand. I'm going to rewind this clip a couple of seconds so you can see how quickly the skater is able to enter a wrap animation the moment he touches the puck. Its a play a lot of top clubs use so it's best you recognize it now.

If you accidentally switch posts, lets say you get faked out by a skater behind the net. You can use the left or the right stick to quickly get back to your original post. I personally use the left stick but its very helpful tool that we can cancel our animations from this position.

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Some goalies in the RVH like to have precision movement off, meaning if your default setting is on you'll have to hold down the modifier button. There are 2 main reasons for this, the first is that with a full push of the left stick your goalie will slide all the way to the other side of the crease which can help for one timers at your back post BUT if you want to push yourself to the middle of the crease you will need to go back to precision movement otherwise you run the risk of sliding out of the crease. The second is that with a small flick of the left stick towards the inside of the post, he will nudge himself off the post just a little bit. If you need to get back onto the post you can quickly get back with the post button and your slightly closer to the middle of the crease which helps if there is a centering pass right in front of your net.

• Personally I do not hold down the precision button. I do use those moves but I'm more comfortable pressing the button when I need it instead of holding the button down the entire time. Its different for every goalie, lots of goalies like to hold the button down so see what works best for you.

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• Stand-up post post hug - This is done by aiming towards the post with the left stick and pressing the post button. This is best used when the puck is at a wide angle and close to the boards. (STAND UP POST HUG SAVE AND MANY MORE SAVES). By closing off shortside any shots from these angles will result in an easy save.

• It's pretty easy to move off the post to make a one timer save using just the left stick.

• If you accidentally switch posts using the stand up post hug. The only way to cancel this move half-way through is by pressing the butterfly button.

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• Vertical Horizontal (VH) - This is done by first holding the post, then holding down butterfly. This is the worst post move of them all but it is a necessary evil. While in the stand-up post hug, if the puck starts to make its way down to the edge of the trapezoid drop to the VH. If the puck quickly comes out to the front of the net, you'll be covering more of the net and have a better chance to make the save than if you were using the stand-up hug.

Now i'm going to talk about the bad things about the VH position and there are a couple of negatives.

• First if you accidentally switch posts from the VH, there is no way to cancel the animation.

• Second, movements off the post from the VH are not as precise compared to the other post hugs.. The smallest nudge of the left stick and you will slide a lot more in the crease than the other post moves. I find that lack of precision as a bit of a turn off.

If the VH is bad why can't we transition from the stand-up hug to the RVH with the right stick? Well, you can but your goalie will end up with half of his body inside the post. Obviously that's not where we want to be and we'll have to waste time fixing our goalie instead of focusing on our position.

The VH does have it's problems that EA can hopefully fix but it is needed in the specific situation I mentioned earlier. If those problems are fixed then it will be much more useful.

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Basic Positioning Guide (not set in stone as the situation dictates the best play)

• Puck slightly ahead of goal line but near the boards - Stand up Post hug to close off shortside and easy to move towards middle of crease for possible centering passes.

• Puck in corner - OPTIONAL They can't score from the corner. If there's an obvious pass in front of the net be prepared for that. If no pass happens be ready to adjust to the situation when the puck leaves the corner.

• Puck on the sides of your net, near your posts - RVH. Close off shortside, covers a lot of the net which helps for far side snipes. Stays low to prevent wraps and readies for rebounds

• Puck directly behind net - Sit in butterfly until the puck carrier commits to one side. They'll try to fake you out to get an easy wrap on the other side. Be patient!

• Puck on the edge of the trapezoid - If you were in the stand-up hug, this is the rare time to transition to VH. If possible I'd suggest RVH. If there's an open centering pass in front of your net, be ready for the pass but stay close enough to the post where you can hug it if necessary.

[SandGropeR]

Thanks for the tips, so is it worth picking up the new game if all I play is be a pro as a goalie?

[jmoney2436]

Quote: Originally Posted by SandGropeR

Thanks for the tips, so is it worth picking up the new game if all I play is be a pro as a goalie?

I had fun during the beta with goalie. Although there are still some issues, it's definitely improved compared to 17 IMO as there seems to be more consistency in saves when your in position. Since there was no BAP in the beta I can't speak as to the mode itself and if any bugs were fixed regarding that mode. Purely as a goalie I think you'll enjoy it more than 17.

[SandGropeR]

Quote: Originally Posted by jmoney2436

I had fun during the beta with goalie. Although there are still some issues, it's definitely improved compared to 17 IMO as there seems to be more consistency in saves when your in position. Since there was no BAP in the beta I can't speak as to the mode itself and if any bugs were fixed regarding that mode. Purely as a goalie I think you'll enjoy it more than 17.

Thanks, will be picking it up, have come to love playing as a goalie in NHL now