Lineup — Guides

Four lines, 5 skaters each: center (conductor), left and right wing (pacemakers), left and right defense (rock-solid anchors). You distribute ice time between the lines — line 1 plays the most, line 4 the least. The art: don't burn out your stars, but have them on the ice in decisive moments.

Every line has an experience value (0–100) and a chemistry value (0–100). Both increase with every competitive match. But watch out: swap a player and you immediately lose some of those hard-earned points. The more slots you change, the bigger the setback. A well-gelled line can be the difference between victory and defeat.

The starting goalie is your undisputed number 1 — he plays the entire game. The backup rides the bench and only jumps in on injury. A strong goalie makes an enormous difference: roughly a fifth of your team strength comes from him!

Man advantage and short-handed — this is where specialists decide. On the power play (5 on 4 or 5 on 3) you can field your most offensive players. On the penalty kill (4 on 5) you need defensive workers. You set up 2 formations each. These players don't have to come from your regular lines — put in specialists!

Your captain and up to two assistants give the whole squad a boost — provided they're on the ice themselves. A goalie can't wear the 'C'. Choose your captain wisely: he should be a leader who always plays in one of the first three lines.

So you are not helpless in case of injuries or low energy, you can set substitutes with priorities per position. If a starter is unavailable, the substitute with priority 1 moves up first, then priority 2 and so on. If nobody fits, the system only rebuilds the affected line for the simulation. This keeps you operational even in busy weeks with many games.

The order of your lines determines ice time: line 1 is on the ice most, line 4 the least. Use that tactically – your best players belong in the first lines, valuable prospects can gently gain experience in line 4. The line weighting in tactics lets you refine the distribution further.

For the shootout you name three shooters in a fixed order. Your first shooter should be the coolest head, because an early goal puts pressure on the opponent. The shooters must be in an active line, and a goalie cannot be chosen as a shooter.

The starting goalie plays the entire game, the backup sits on the bench and only steps in on injury. Make sure your backup brings a solid base strength – a long absence of your number one can quickly become a problem without a good replacement. Goalies lose less energy in a game than skaters, so you can let your starter play through.

Power play and penalty kill are your secret weapon in tight games. Set up two formations for each situation and fill them with players that fit your style. These players don't have to come from your regular lines – so you can deliberately deploy specialists who only play in power play or shorthanded situations.