I have no idea how to ask this but here goes...
I was playing a game of Online Versus a few minutes ago and just had to quit. Literally any time I got within 10 feet of another player, they'd immediately poke check the puck off of me. No matter what angle I approached them, no matter how much I twisted, turned or used the skill stick or A/X button to pull the puck away. Not just stripping the puck clean, but every time it'd go to some AI player hanging around in the area. Hell, even if I tried to pass to get around them, the poke check disrupts the pass almost every time.
On the other hand, they'd be walking into the zone, I'd have literally three players draped on top of them body checking, poke checking, etc in generally the right spots and they push right through me. Even if I do knock the puck off for a split second, they just laugh and grab it again and I'm f***ed.
I refuse to believe people are that surgically perfect poke checkers, they always do it at the perfect angle, always do it perfectly with AI players in the vicinity to pick up the puck, etc. I've always kind of assumed it was because I play as the Sabres and they suck at everything so the odds are going to be stacked against me... but I'm not so sure.
What, if any, is the secret sauce to the poke check button? Are random players really just that consistently perfect?