EHM The Blue Line

Seeing as defensive forwards can be awkward characters (Axelsson & Ortmeyer for example) I thought it may be ok to make a new thread about them?

If no then merge it. lol

I have questions:

A) I find it frustrating when my 3rd (checking line) or Fedoruk Garlock Parker shuts down the oppositions 1st line and they get ratings of 6. Surely stopping the oppositions main scoring line should deserve a good rating.

B) Has anyone managed to develop their own defensive forwards as there doesnt appear to be too many around in the drafts etc....

C) Who are the unsung shut down guys? Not the obvious ones like Dingman, Scatchard, Ortmeyer, Axelsson etc......

I have used Fedoruk, Garlock and Parker for the last two seasons and they generally do a good job. I tried Artyukchin (sp?) and he didnt do very well. Low 6 ratings, no hits, no fights, no points. Whereas Fedoruk and Parker always seem to get over 20pts, lots of fights, LOTS of hits and do well on the OK. Garlock does well on the PK and can jump onto the 2nd line if needed.

In my game with the Caps I have two scoring lines and two checking lines: 4vs1, 3vs2, 2vs3 and 1vs4. Basically my fourth line is my "first checking line" and third line gets the least ice team.

Has worked well so far.

Fourth line is: Matt Pettinger, Dave Steckel and Chris Clark.

Third line is: Chris Dingman (who hasn't played as well as he usually does), Boyd Gordon, Matt Bradley.

There's alot of average ratings in the sevens, and my fourth liners have scored a decent amount of goals too.

Tasku wrote:In my game with the Caps I have two scoring lines and two checking lines: 4vs1, 3vs2, 2vs3 and 1vs4. Basically my fourth line is my "first checking line" and third line gets the least ice team.

Has worked well so far.

Fourth line is: Matt Pettinger, Dave Steckel and Chris Clark.

Third line is: Chris Dingman (who hasn't played as well as he usually does), Boyd Gordon, Matt Bradley.

There's alot of average ratings in the sevens, and my fourth liners have scored a decent amount of goals too.

I've always wondered about Steckel. I had him in a couple of games AGES ago but couldnt really get much out of him. May be worth a look at in the new Lidas 1.1

Well he isn't doing magnificently for me either, but Gordon is even worse and Wes Walz totally flopped. Sutherby, who's usually great at that particular role had to go because he was having hard time learning my style of play, I guess. Or what ever the reason was for his bad numbers.

I'm having a look thru the waivers and free agents to get a bit more depth on my defensive centers.

A really good defensive centre is Bates. Cant remember his first name. Shawn?

He's about 30 in the game but did really well for me once.

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for him.

Forgot to mention Matt Pettinger. He's prolly my best defensive forward. Just happened to be injured at the time I made my post.

Mike Rupp screwed the pooch in the first season I used him, so I kept him in the AHL as an injury call up for the season after. This past season that I just completed, he wasn't amazing but as the checking line LW he had a 7.14 rating, 18 points, 187 hits, and won 2 out of 3 fights. With Todd Fedoruk and the now departed Andre Roy, I didn't need him to toss the 'knucks so much as stop the pucks

i like to use hagman and scout the finland and sweden leagues to good 3rd and 4th line players and then i scout russia for my 2nd and 1st lines
i also like to match 4 v 1, 3 v 2, 2 v 4 and 1 v 3. my thing is defence first so all my lines have 4 star or more for defence and the other thing i look at is speed which ranges 4 stars or more.

right now my 3rd and 4th lines are

hagman - richards - o'sullian
parise - antropov - lenio

I find Curtis Brown is good, but in the new lidas rosters he is in Europe somewhere, Mike Grier is also great, and I picked Kirk Maltby up off waivers and he has 14 points in 34 games playing only about 10 minutes a game.

I signed Mair from Sabres in a trade as a defensive RW. He's doing really well. Worth sending your scouts to have a look at.

i have 3 defenceive lines and 1 line that just fights. we don't score but we don't let any goals in either.

Kaberle is my top point getter.

deathknot wrote:i have 3 defenceive lines and 1 line that just fights. we don't score but we don't let any goals in either.

Kaberle is my top point getter.

Does it really work? What's your winning percentage? Do you match lines or just put every line of defensive tactics? I never have been successful with defensive strategies in the playoffs.

I always find myself picking up Janis Sprukts. Great positioning and pokecheck but low on speed.
Adam Heinrich is also one of my unsung "kinda good at everything but really nothing more than 3rd line" guys. I have him on the pk from time to time.

Guys i've used for 3rd and 4th lines.

Petteri Nokelainen - turns out very good in a defensive practice regime
Manny Malhotra - always solid
Alexander Svitov - i keep him in defensive practice, his aggression went down and stickhandling became godlike.
Colin Stuart = dependable grinder
Brodie Dupont = I had mixed results with him, but sometimes he becomes a very capable centerman.

Also, it helps if you have one coach who is technique based and good on forward, defensemen and tactics

Peterman5000 wrote:Guys i've used for 3rd and 4th lines.

Petteri Nokelainen - turns out very good in a defensive practice regime
Manny Malhotra - always solid
Alexander Svitov - i keep him in defensive practice, his aggression went down and stickhandling became godlike.
Colin Stuart = dependable grinder
Brodie Dupont = I had mixed results with him, but sometimes he becomes a very capable centerman.

I've got Nokelainen. Had him down in the AHL for the last two seasons as he isn't improving much but one day he shall hoepfully make the step up to anchor my shutdown line.

RW Michael Blunden...never does much in the AHL, but plays very well in a defensive role when called up to the NHL.

leafsnation wrote:RW Michael Blunden...never does much in the AHL, but plays very well in a defensive role when called up to the NHL.

I've always had good luck with Blunden as a 2nd line scoring winger.

What unit tactics should I apply to my 3rd, shutdown line? I think I have pretty good guys there, but I can't get them performing as they would, here are them:

Robitaille-Hakkarainen-Andruschenko

I use Paul Gaustad a lot. He always starts the year in the AHL because I think I have found an improvement but inevitably he gets the call and sticks. His +/- is always great.

I also had Luke Curtain (can't even remember where I got him) turn into a second line stud and put up huge points. I got lucky one year and had a surplus of offensive talent and Curtain got put on the 3rd. Not only did he do a great job as a shut down guy, he got 45+ points on a 3rd line role. Well, he did get some power play time but you get the point.

Yep i've currently got Gaustad centering Mair & Pyatt on my shutdown line. Started off nicely so fingers crossed he'll be a success.

deathknot wrote:i like to use hagman

I got Hagman through waivers in my first season as Pens-coach. He played 3rd and 4th lines for the first two seasons with intensive def training and in my third season season he played 2nd line and became a Selke runner up (I also had Laraque who was the third nominee ). He became almost perfect defensive forward with decent attackin stats (1st PK duties also).

I've also used Brashear, Scott Thornton, Scott Parker and so on..just but them aggressive or berserk with hitting up and they usually get good ratings with loads of hits and good fights. When it comes to def forwards you might not want to listen to your scouts but just rather look at players defensive attributes, work rate, determination and bravery. And of course it helps if he is good physically too.

right now i use this as my 3rd and 4th lines

3rd line

Franzen - J.Staal - J. Ruutu

4th line

Axelsson - Holik - Draper

i have Pahlsson to but he is out another 2 months

my top lines have mostly skilled 2 way players also. and my defence is made off of 3 defensive dman and 3 offensive dman

1st in goals for and 1st in goals againist, pk is rocking but pp is only at 16.7% right now. my goalies are rough...

I like Hagman, but Blair Betts and Arron Asham have been decent for me as well. (using original database)

i use hagman on my 2nd line as a LW with Hulder and Eriksson
1st is Zetterberg, Sundin and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson

i have T.Ruutu and J.Ruutu also and Sammy Pahlsson.

plus i have already put my 3rd and 4th up
i feel magnus might be playing only because he has zetty and mats tho.


yes i know i have alot of euros. i look for high work rate players, good checking, and what kind of player they are. speed,shooting and passing are also a good way to go since you can then get some good playmaking 2 way players. i also look at height and weight of the player.