Winning faceoffs in NHL 16 tips??

[Critical Kills]

So on Rookie I win every faceoff...I go to pro and can't hardly ever win one. Is there somewhere in the game where it gives you a tutorial on how to do face offs? Or can someone who played 15 a lot help a fellow OSer out here with some advice?


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[Vmascarello]

Its actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Hold either left or right on the stick depending if you wanna try to win faceoff on forehand or backhand, and as soon as it tells you, just push back on the stick. If the forehand isnt very effective, try backhand. Atteibutes play a role this year too, especially on All Star amd maybe even Pro. For instance, I was 6 of 7 with Bergeron (maybe the best in the NHL, and 2 for 6 with Ryan Spooner, whos not very good, I think he is like 78 in Faceoffs.

Im thinking just by holding left or right on the stick, should help win a few more. But, just make sure your timing is solid when pushing back to win the draw..

Lastly, if your facing a guy like Bergeron or Toews and getting crushed, then you can push forward and try to tie him up. Sometimes thats your best bet against a top faceoff guy.

[Critical Kills]

Ok so when you say hold left or right on the stick which stick do you mean? The left stick? Thx


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[Vmascarello]

Yes left stick, you'll see your skater turn his stick.

[CRIP4LIFE]

i'll try to expound further...

left stick = your body
right stick = your stick

1) if you flinch/jump (move left/right stick up or down before the ref drops the puck) you will be at a disadvantage -- especially if your opponent does not. so, this might seem obvious but don't "go" before the ref's hand moves.

2) if you want to win the draw with your stick, you don't want to move your body stick (LS) at all until after you try to draw. before the ref drops the puck, hold your right stick (RS) in the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position (for a right handed player, holding right or 3 o'clock = forehand draw and holding left or 9 o'clock = backhand draw). now -- timing is key -- as soon as the ref moves even a pixel to drop the puck you "go". as you're holding 3 or 9 o'clock position, sweep the RS up to 12 o'clock to attempt to lift your opponent's stick and win... OR sweep down to 6 o'clock to attempt to just sweep it away and win. when i say "sweep the RS", i mean a quarter-circle sweep not unlike what you would do in a fighting game. (as you're in motion to 12 or 6 o'clock, you can now use LS to aim the puck toward your teammates).

3) if you want to "tie" your opponent up, you need to get into their body with yours on the puck drop. same as before with timing, don't "go" until the ref's hand moves to drop the puck, but now use your LS and slam it straight up to 12 o'clock. unlike trying to win the face-off with your stick, you should not "pre-load" the LS to 3/9 o'clock prior to puck drop. leave the LS center and just slam it to 12 o'clock. *** you can still pre-load your RS to 3/9 o'clock if you like even if you intend to tie your opponent up with your body upon puck drop.

4) you can deke off of a face-off with LB (i'm using hybrid controls) and take the puck around your opponent. you can also hold RS center and slam it straight up to shoot directly off a face-off on puck drop. these are harder to do, and it seems to me, the window in which either of these will work is way smaller than winning to your teammates with RS or tying up with LS.

this last part is opinion, so take it with a grain of salt... i THINK there's a whole rock-paper-scissors system in place (in addition to your timing and your current player's attributes). so, especially against cpu opponents, don't try the same face-off win technique over and over. they will counter you. same goes for a savvy player online. mix up your forehand/backhand draws. throw in a lift-stick draw occasionally, and even a few body tie-ups. mix it up, don't be predictable, and you should def win more face-offs with more consistency.

hope this helps!! and i hope i wasn't too confusing. it really is easy to catch on to, once you get all the specifics down.

[Critical Kills]

That is awesome, thanks for taking the time to explain it all as its a great description and I'll try it tonight. Thanks again man!!!


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[fullmetal2405]

You can also turn down the CPU Faceoff slider until you get more adjusted to it.

Also pay attention to the Coach Feedback. In games where I'm losing a ton of draws I usually see something under Team Play along the lines of "You're getting stick lifted and losing face-offs. Try using the backhand and draw the puck back."

Doing what the coach suggests has helped me so far in those games.

[jyoung]

Tie up beats backhand stance.

Stick lift beats forehand stance.

Clean draw beats tie up and upright stance.

EA's rock/paper/scissors faceoff system hasn't changed since it was introduced in NHL 11.

Your grip strength (how long you stay in your stance before drawing), move timing (you want to make your move right when the ref moves his arm), and faceoff attribute rating also factor in as well.

The CPU on default settings is pretty cheesy in the faceoff circle, though. I highly suggest lowering the faceoff difficulty slider a bit if you're going to play the CPU, because their timing and move selection is almost always perfect.