NHL 14 - EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q.

NHL^®14 will feature improvements to goalies, goal-scoring balance and the highly anticipated NHL 94 Anniversary Mode.

This week, the NHL^®14 dev team talks about improvements to EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q. You can expect players in NHL 14 to:

a)       Provide better puck support with a greater understanding of the developing play

b)       Use smarter shooting analysis to identify scoring opportunities while skating.

c)       Read the play more effectively on both offense and defense.

See the improvements in action:

Offensive AI

• Player Facing: Players will do a much better job opening up for passes/shooting opportunities.  You will notice that they will better position themselves to let their own team’s shots through, and get ready for deflections and/or resulting rebounds.
• Keeping the Puck In: Players are now more aware when they are close to the blueline and will take the extra care needed in ensuring they keep the puck in the offensive zone.
• Avoiding Offsides: Players will do a better job of adjusting their route to ensure they remain onside as the play enters the zone.
• Shooting Analysis: Smarter decision making based on where the goalie is and the situation. Affects the types of shots they take and the location of the shot. For example: If they see someone on their team driving the net on an odd-man rush, they’re more likely to shoot low at the pads to produce a rebound.

Defensive AI

• Gap Control: Defenders will be more aware of the gap between themselves and the forwards as they breakout, progress through the neutral zone and into the defensive end. They will also make smarter decisions in selecting whether they should play loose or to tighten the gap by recognizing their opponent’s offensive ability versus their own defensive capabilities.
• Blueline Entry: A.I.defenders do a better job of recognizing the approach of an incoming offensive attack and will pick their moments to step up and lay a hit at the blueline, get a stick towards the puck or in the passing lane, or drop back into a more controlled gap. This will result in the need to read the defense when entering the zone and to vary the approach accordingly.
• Player Facing: A.I.defenders will do a better job of ensuring they’re facing the proper direction and are aware of where the puck is when covering point-men and forwards in front of the net.

Line Change Logic

• Players now have more awareness of the right time to change. They’ll do a better job of understanding the risks and rewards when determining whether they should come off or stay on for a critical situation, based on the opportunity vs. pressure and/or time of game.

Special Teams

• Power play logic has been improved to ensure that a team on the Power Play isn’t overly committed to attacking. This ensures that the PP team can still be defensive minded when they need to be.

Learn more about all the other improvements and inclusions being made to NHL 14.

NHL 14 hits store shelves on September 10th, only on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Available for a limited time, be sure to check out our NHL 14 Pre-Order Offers before it's too late.

Stay in the conversation of all things hockey and NHL 14, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.