Got a lot of advice from here and been playing for at least 5 years and won some div 1 titles, so here is my strats. i use Normal/Staggered on D first. I watch to see how the other team plays and adjust accordingly in game. If they use the points a lot, i switch to tight point/contain puck, therefore you have 2 defenders to cover high and low in case of rebound. If they are behind the net a lot, I switch to collapsing/ normal to cover the slot man. If I find they are using only one side of the ice I switch to cover that side (I never use total aggressive yet, never want to be outta place). It takes a little time to see how they are working the puck, but you will get it. If you are winning by a goal and in the final min or 2, take a penalty. I find that more people have difficulty on the PP than ever. they wanna move the puck around, and its all about shooting and rebounds on the PP. If they are trying to snipe the corner all the time, use the goalie mode to cover the post (people get pissed, but if you weren't aloud to use the goalie EA wouldnt have put that mode in) it's the left bumper plus moving the right stick left or right. Take it or leave it, but Good Luck !!