How to reduce goals allowed

[Shadd666]

No. Or at least not in this "serie" of guide. Those ones just give basics and try to explain what everything is. Then let users compose with this to create their own stuff, rather than following tips from other users. It's more interesting to build your own way to make things than to become the pale copy of another player.

But obviously, some players need a more specific help, like you with the shutouts, others with special units, others with salary cap, etc. That's why we're here! Those who have questions ask them on the boards, and we do our best to answer/help them

[bruins72]

Let's merge the discussion from this thread here. They're basically discussing the same thing.

[Sucker Punch]

Thanks for moving this.

SV% is one thing, but doesn't bring it all. If he faces 60 shots a game, it would mostly be a defense problem rather than a goalie one. How many shots do you allow per game? Should be an indication.

I'm thinking more and more its my bloody goalie. I'm 4th in the league in shots against, with 27.97. Conversely, I'm 2nd in the league in shots for, 35.35. I should be much better than 7th .

Even if your team isn't really impressive, i think you should have better results with those players. So my bet is the problem comes from tactics or coaches, especially tactics and def.skills coaches. Can you give more infos about those things please?

My defensive coaches aren't fantastic, but they're decent, the best I could do. Pat Quinn, Robbie Ftorek and Rick Wamsley are in charge of defense and tactics practices. One thing that could be causing a problem is theiy coaching styles. I've never really bothered with that much, I've just taken the coaches with the best attributes. Quinn and Ftorek have the best attributes for that kind of thing, but they're both straightforward, attacking, while Wamsley has no preference.

Could that be contributing? Should I get a coach that has worse attributes, but whose style fits the system better?

Anyway..it depends on his workrate, determination stats. If they suck, he may never develop. I have him in one game, and it is 4 years in...he struggles big time even as an NHL backup, and in the AHL as a starter/backup because his mental attributes are ... well...Hasek like.

That's something that's worrying me too. He was available at 12th overall, so I couldn't pass on him, but he has a few attributes that really worry me.

His determination is 14, his workrate is 12, but his consistency is only 5. He's projected as a starting goaltender, a more talented version of Kari Lehtonen, but do you think he's gonna **** the bed in the NHL?

[batdad]

Determ and workrate are decent...so he should be okay. Consistency is 5...so may have good ones and bad ones. Kinda like the real guy. Way better than the 6 workrate and 4 determ my regen had.

He could be fine. Give him at least a full AHL year, and then see where he is at after the AHL season is what I would do.

[Shadd666]

My defensive coaches aren't fantastic, but they're decent, the best I could do. Pat Quinn, Robbie Ftorek and Rick Wamsley are in charge of defense and tactics practices. One thing that could be causing a problem is theiy coaching styles. I've never really bothered with that much, I've just taken the coaches with the best attributes. Quinn and Ftorek have the best attributes for that kind of thing, but they're both straightforward, attacking, while Wamsley has no preference.

Could that be contributing? Should I get a coach that has worse attributes, but whose style fits the system better?

Having offensive-minded coaches to teach defense in a defensive team doesn't sound very good, for sure Check their adaptability level. The lower it is, the longer you'll have to wait before they produce something good (they'll maybe never ) Also, having offensive coaches forced to manage a defensive system isn't a really good idea, especially if they don't adapt very well to other styles of play.

So your goalie may be an issue. But the main one, IMO, is having a defensive team with an offensive staff. This contradiction can't bring good things.

[Sucker Punch]

I'm really not sure what to do now then.

The best available coach is Brad Werenka. He prefers a patient, defensive style of play. 10 Determination, 15 Youngsters, 14 Coaching Defense. Everything else is 10 or under, motivating is 5, adaptibility is 4.

Do I go with him anyway?

[Shadd666]

Ouch! His motivating level is awful Did you filter to have only the unemployed staff? If yes, turn the option to no, and you may find better staff from other leagues (mainly juniors, AHL, ECHL).

If this Brad Werenka is the best you can get, i see no use of signing him. Try to end the season the best you can, and re-organise your coaching staff during the off-season. You'll have more choice, and of a better quality.

[getzlaf15]

sucker punch: i think your main problem is your goalie, hes rubbish, freddy norrena is awful and noway a starting goalie, im goin off your old post here, if its not him, please tell me.
thanks

[Shadd666]

The problem when the issue comes to goaltending is that it's really hard to make a trade to bring a good starter

Anyhow, goalie issue or not, i tend to think that there's also a non-negligeable staff issue here

[Sucker Punch]

Apparently, the answer to better defense is Brian Sutherby. I my current game, my goals against was the worst in the league until I acquired him, then by penalty killing skyrocketed and my goals against per game plummeted. Go figure.

Shadd666, I really think your tips about coaching helped though. This time, I was much more careful in selecting my coaching staff, and it seems to finally be paying off.

Anyway, I just posted December in my blog, it has more specifics there.

[Shadd666]

Nice to see that things are heating up And nice to see that the tips given are usefull

Sutherby is maybe not the defensive answer all by himself, but it seems that he is the defensive piece you needed to have a solid and cohesive core. Or maybe his arrival just remotivated the defensive corp, and the team in general.

Ah...those little things that can make or demolish a team...

[V4ND3RP00L]

I have always seen that goaltending is the biggest issue, but defense is just as much a part of that then anything else in the game.

It's not hard to take any goaltender who is decent in some sense of the word and make him into a nice starter, but that will take defense in order for that to happen. Which means, you have to spend a little money here and there, you know?

Plus, I notice that your whole tactics and scheme can help in this cause as well. If you have your team being totally offensive and not helping your goaltender in any possible way, then get ready to be scored on, because it doesn't work like that.

You can have the top 10 defensemen in the league and if you setup your tactics to be like that, then you will get nowhere in the game and I should know, because I have done that before.

Also, don't do it the opposite way either. Where all you do is play defensive minded hockey. That will get you into deep water as well, because you'll get about 15 shots a game and unless your players are great shots, then you can expect maybe 1 goal or to be shutout by the other team.

It's all a matter of playing and tweaking the team in order to get things going right, but in my opinion, goaltending comes first.

[Iceman90]

I just installed the 3.0.4 patch and started a new game and I am getting WAY more goals against than usual now, in the new game I started.

using the same rosters as I always do, games that used to end up 2-3, 4-2 etc are now coming out 7-3, 8-1, etc.

Perhaps it is an issue with the patch?

[bruins72]

I don't really think it's an "issue". The guys at SI have said in each of the patches that they've tweaked different things, scoring being one of them. You can still win plenty of low scoring games (and lose them). I just think that some tactics work better to produce higher scores with the tweaks.