Step by Step Lines

My opinion of each strategy:

Passing plays: reliable for your offensive guys, this is the most basic strategy.

Run &Gun: this simply does not work well at all. You may get some goals from a line of all 90's oa players with this, but they will allow more than they score.

Dump & Chase: Primarily a 4th line tactic with fast skaters who's abilities are limited.

Hit & Grind: The true essence of hockey, there is also a bug in the game that makes this the "super tactic" in most cases.A lot of online leagues have rules against allowing this to be used too much, if your league does not have such a rule, I suggest using it lots!

Neutral Zone Trap: This is a great strategy for a 3rd line with great defensive forwards. I am a strong believer that every team needs one of these lines to succeed.

It is all a matter of opinion again, but I will break down my personal experience with each one. You have to ask your self first, "what kind of players do I have?", "What kind of team do I want to run?" and "What kind of coach do I have?". There is really no set way a coach works for this, but his strong attributes will matter. Time to choose your own adventure.

I am a 1 line team with no supporting players.

I have 2 good scoring lines and some other players.

I am all offense, all the way down.

I am all defense, all the way down.

I have nothing, can I salvage this team?

If I missed one, please email me or msn me(preferred) and I will add your special situation to this explanation.~disclaimer~ These are very basic explanations, the actual players you use will affect how these lines work, I cannot begin to imagine the various combinations of players you may have to work with, so I will keep these very basic.

I am a 1 line team with no supporting players.- Well, if you are a one line team, you know what line #1 will look like. If these players are all offense, you will probably do best with a "passing plays" strategy and a shift length of 70. If they are defense, a solid "hit and grind" combination with a 60 is supreme. Line 2 should be the support for these players, you want to have some oomph to get out there and take some minutes away from your tired line 1. No matter what kind of line you put out, the 2nd line has to be productive. A simple NHL style recipe is best, 1 shooter, 1 passer and 1 grinder. A good old "dump and chase" will be sufficient and a shift length of 40. Line 3 may be getting scary for you now, this is basically your trap line on a 1 line team, hitting is not important here, what is important is defense, positioning(marking) and checking. (Please note that a 'check' is not a hit, i.e. a poke check is a type of check, this is his ability to execute once in position). "Neutralzone trap" is the strategy and a 30 shift length is good. Line 4 becomes an after thought here, you have to have one, so you cannot simply ignore them, you can use it as any combination, another trap line, a grind line, another scoring line, depends on what you have as your remaining depth, a shift length of 20 and a strategy to fit the players you use is recommended.

I have 2 good scoring lines and some other players.- The overall of your players comes into play some here, you do not want to simply put your 3 best players all on one line, this may weaken your second lines scoring. The old philosophy on "spread out the scoring" can be used on a team like this one, line 1 and 2 may be very different in abilities, line 1 may have players that are 80-80-80 and line 2 is 72-73-74. mix them, put your 2 best players on line 1 and your 2nd best player for the remaining position on line 1 with them, the best one on line 2. Each line can be set to "passing plays" and each can have a shift that ranges between 50 or 60. i.e., line one is 60 and line 2 is 50, or make both 60, or both 50. The support line on line 3 is a great idea to make this the trap line, all defense is good here, hitting is not important here, what is important is defense, positioning(marking) and checking. (Please note that a 'check' is not a hit, i.e. a poke check is a type of check, this is his ability to execute once in position). "Neutralzone trap" is the strategy and a 30 shift length is good. On a team like this, the 4th line isn't just a "toss out what you have left" line, you need to be creative. Line 4 should be your grind line. This is the line with the enforcers and hitters. Defense should come above all and the players need to be big with the ability to "Hit and Grind" as the line strategy suggests. The shift length can be 20 or 30 depending on how much better line 2 is.

I am all offense, all the way down.- Ah, the ever creative team with very little "character" support, this is a fun team, but not a smart team, but hey, who am I to criticize? It is your team. This will depend on how far down your depth chart goes and what the overalls are line between players 1-4 on each position. An ideal all offense team will use Line strategy "passing plays" with a shift length between 50 and 60 (depending on how much better line 1 is than line 2). Line 2 can be more open, with no one behind you to pick up the trash, a "dump and chase" or the ever dangerous and not so brilliant "Run and Gun" can be used here with very little fear, a shift of 40 to 50 is best.(depending on how much better line 2 is than line 3). If you choose to set line 2 t one of the above options, you can have line 3 be more reliable, again a "passing plays" is good, and a shift length of 30 to 40 (depending on how much better line 3 is than line 4). Line 4 is all about fun, these guys are the 4th scoring line on a team with 4 scoring lines! If this line is good, match the shift length with line 3, if they are not as good, make them 10 less, you know, just like stated above. The strategy? It doesn't matter! These guys can try anything, they are rarely on the ice, whichever strategy has them scoring the most, use it.

I am all defense, all the way down.- This is a tricky team, but this can be a winning team also, This is more or less the Wild, and hey, they win! How do they do it? Line 1, shift length can be set at 40 or 50, depending on how much better line 1 is than 2, it is good to make both line 1 and 2 the same shift, mix your players (don't put the best 3 players all on line 1) and make them both "hit and grind". Line 2 can be either 40 or 50 as well.Line 3 and 4, again, mix them, and make them both "neutral zone trap" and shift them at 30.

I have nothing, can I salvage this team?-Yes, this is a team that most people say is "rebuilding", you are likely playing a bunch of rookies before they are ready to play, bravo! You may be nuts, but you can make this work. First thing is first, overall just went out the window, Line 1, 2, 3, and 4 will all be at 40 for length. You can adjust this separating the 1st line from the 4th as the season moves on. Line one needs the best players with Offense (not overall) on it. Make this strategy "passing plays". Line 2 will be your best defense players, this line will be "Neutralzone Trap". Line 3 will be your biggest remaining players (make these guys all train on physic for a while too, he he), this is the "Hit and Grind" line. Line 4 can be your best remaining players by overall, this is the "dump and chase" line, it can also be a great weapon as a second "Hit and Grind" line. This is a "nothing to lose" circumstance, but at least these lines will gain you some respect.