NHL is one that I always enjoyed playing, and looked forward to getting every Christmas. I've never been a super-gamer kind of guy, but I do enjoy playing them a lot. I've always played video games here and there. Are video games one such way? Were you one of those guys that, say, got into soccer playing FIFA? We spoke with the NHL 22 cover athlete recently about gaming, both on Nintendo and on the chess board another Maple Leafs' playoff disaster and whether he's in Justin Bieber's posse, or if it's the other way around.ĮSPN: You're someone who's always been interested in ways to grow the NHL's fan base. I can't wait to see that," said Matthews. "I just picture McDavid in this game just skating by everyone so easily. The exceptional attributes extend to defensive players as well: Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has the "Contortionist" zone ability, in which he can make "impossible" saves during the game. The same goes for Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl's video game proxy, who has the "Tape To Tape" zone ability, allowing him to make remarkable passes within his vision. Much like in the real world, digital defenders will have to be more aware when Matthews is on the ice. Matthews' zone ability is called "Shock & Awe." It seeks to mimic his exceptional power and accuracy when shooting out of a deke move, using his curl and drag shot. "We're trying to re-create superstars in a way that's authentic to hockey," said NHL 22 producer Clement Kwong. They range from enhanced shots and passing abilities to being able to sneak a puck through screens to the goaltender. The "superstar" abilities are less powerful, and multiple ones are assigned to about 100 players in the game. It created two different tiers of abilities: "zone" and "superstar." The "zone" abilities are assigned to elite players that possess game-changing talent since they're so powerful within the game, only one is assigned to each eligible player. With NHL 22, EA Sports has made the league's best players something more than their ability ratings. "I think it's going to be a pretty sweet game." I consider myself pretty lucky," he told ESPN. Not many people get to be on the cover of the video game. It's only appropriate that a game focused on separating the superstars from the rest of the league would feature one of its elite young talents, one who just scored 41 goals in 52 games. Matthews is the cover athlete for NHL 22, the second time he's made the front of the box for EA Sports after gracing the NHL 20 cover. Maybe some good goal-scoring abilities," said the Toronto Maple Leafs center, who last season led the NHL in goals for the first time in his five-year career. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that I've got a good shot in the game.
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You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪuston Matthews on NHL 22, Toronto Maple Leafs' playoff bust and Justin Bieber's posseĪuston Matthews played it coy when asked what EA Sports identified as his "X-Factor" in its new NHL 22 game.