Screens, tips and deflections: how net-front goals happen

Updated October 8, 2026

Watch where goals really come from in modern hockey and a lot of them aren't clean shots. They're shots the goalie never saw, or shots that changed direction a few feet from the net. Screens, tips and deflections are the unglamorous side of scoring, and some of the most effective. This guide explains how they work in the real sport, how goalies fight them, and how they work in Brudvig Hockey, based on how the game is actually programmed.

The idea: take away time

A goalie stops pucks by seeing the release, reading the line, and moving to it. Every one of those steps takes a fraction of a second. A screen delays the first step: he can't see the release. A tip or deflection wrecks the second: the line changes after he's read it. Either way, he has less time than the shot needs, and more pucks go in.

Screens

What a screen is

A screen is a player standing between the shooter and the goalie, blocking his view of the puck. It can be an attacker parked in front on purpose, or a defender who happens to be in the lane. Either way, the goalie loses sight of the puck until it's past the body in front of him.

How to set one

• Stand in the shooting lane, not just near the net. The screen only works on the line from the puck to the goalie's eyes.
• Be big and stay still at the release. Moving at the wrong moment opens the goalie's view.
• Keep your stick on the ice so a screen can become a tip.
• Be ready for the rebound, because you're the closest player to it.

The cost

Standing in front of the net is hard work. Defenders push, lean and cross-check, and shots come at you from behind. That's why players who do it well are valued so highly.

Tips

What a tip is

A tip (or redirect) is a player deliberately changing the direction of a shot with the stick blade, usually in front of the net. The shot is already on its way, the goalie is already moving to it, and then it goes somewhere else.

How it's done

• Shots from distance, kept low. Point shots aimed at sticks, not at the net, make tips possible. A hard, low shot is easier to redirect than a high one.
• Blade angle. The angle of the blade decides where the puck goes. Players practise tipping down, up and to either side.
• Timing. The tipper has to be in the right spot as the shot arrives, often moving into the lane at the last moment.

What's legal

Rules vary by league, but two common ones matter. A puck deflected in with a stick above the crossbar usually doesn't count. And interfering with the goalie in his crease can wipe out the goal. Kicking a puck in with a distinct kicking motion is also usually disallowed, while a puck that deflects in off a skate without a kick often counts. See hockey rules explained.

Deflections

A deflection is a puck that changes direction off something by accident: a defender's stick, a skate, a body. The goalie has the same problem as with a tip, with one difference: nobody, not even the shooter, knows where it'll go. Many "lucky" goals are deflections, and teams that shoot a lot through traffic get more of that luck.

How goalies fight back

• Look around the screen, not through it, finding the puck past the near side of the body in front.
• Get big and low. Against a shot they can't see, many goalies drop into the butterfly to take away the bottom of the net, where tips and deflections usually go.
• Hold depth. Coming out too far against a screened shot leaves more room for a redirect to get around.
• Communicate. Defenders are expected to clear bodies from in front, or at least tie up their sticks.

More on goaltending in goaltending explained.

Defending the net front

For defenders, the job is to make the screen or tip impossible without taking a penalty: box out the attacker, lift or tie up his stick when the shot comes, and block shots before they reach the traffic. A defender who stands in the lane without blocking the shot just becomes another screen against his own goalie.

How it works in Brudvig Hockey

Brudvig Hockey models all three. Here's exactly what happens, from the game's code.

Screens

When a shot is taken, the game checks for any skater, from either team, standing close to the line between the shooter and the goalie, in the stretch nearer the goalie. If there is one, the shot is screened: the goalie reacts noticeably later, and even a shot he gets to is more likely to squeak through. The screener doesn't have to be a teammate. A defender in the lane screens his own goalie too.

Tips

A fast, low shot that passes close to the stick blade of the shooter's teammate in front of the opposing net gets redirected on goal, to a new spot in the net and a new height. The goalie's reaction to a tip is later, and tips squeak through more often. A teammate's stick reaches a little further for a tip near the net than elsewhere on the ice.

Deflections

A shot that clips any other stick goes off at an angle, slower, and often up in the air. For the goalie, that counts like a tip: a late change he has to react to.

Bodies and skates

A shot that hits a body or skate bounces off. If it's an opponent, that's a blocked shot. Teammates try to get out of the way of their own team's shots, so they're harder to hit than opponents.

Divers

A defender who dives (□ on defense) lays out along the ice and blocks low shots and passes with his body. He doesn't count as a stick, so a diver blocks rather than deflects.

Using screens and tips in the game

Against the computer

You control the puck carrier, so you'll mostly be the shooter. Computer teammates don't set screens on purpose, but they spread out around the zone, and when your shot comes loose the nearest one goes after the rebound. So look for moments when a teammate is already in front of the net, and shoot low and hard from the top of the zone when a teammate is in front, rather than from a bad angle. A low wrist shot through traffic is often better than a slap shot over it.

With friends

With two or three players a side, each person keeps their own skater, so you can play the net-front role on purpose. Park your skater in front of the goalie, in the line from your teammate's stick, and let them shoot low. When it works, it's the most satisfying team goal in the game. See play friends online or play on your TV.

On defense

• Get out of your goalie's eyes, or block the shot properly. Standing in the lane without blocking only screens your own goalie.
• Dive to block a low shot from the slot. A diver takes the puck off his body.
• Hit the net-front attacker. With no penalties, a check clears the crease.

Drills

1. Point shot with traffic: for one period, every shot from the top of the zone must be low, with a teammate in front. Count goals and rebounds.
2. Net-front role (with a friend): one player only shoots from distance, the other only plays in front. Swap after a period.
3. Clear the crease: on defense, hit or dive every time an attacker sets up in front.

More drills in hockey drills you can practise in the game.

Common questions

Does a screen by my own player hurt my goalie?

In the game, yes: any skater in the lane counts, whichever team he's on. In real hockey too.

Why did that shot go in when the goalie was right there?

Probably a screen, a tip, or a deflection on the way, or a hard shot squeaking through. Even a goalie in position can be beaten when he reacts late.

Are tips just luck?

Deflections often are. Tips are a skill: getting to the right spot, at the right time, with the stick down.

Keep reading

How to shoot a hockey puck, famous hockey moves, and the hockey glossary. Or play Brudvig Hockey free and score one ugly.