Wow....ok, yeah, this game is still definitely capable of some stupid stuff. I've been doing the Play Now game and locking myself in at center (playing as NJ so I could have a right handed center) just to really see how the AI plays in a BAP/EASHL style setting. This last game I played really could have been straight out of NHL 12. I'm skating up the ice about 15 feet ahead of the AI, wide open, and they ignore me, letting me skate offside before they dump the puck in.
They really just seemed reluctant to pass overall. There was a time when they were getting board played in the offensive zone near the faceoff circle, so I went up the boards into the corner so they could kick it to me. I didn't call for it because I wanted to see what they would do. Instead, they kick it toward the slot where it's recovered by a defensive player.
Then, they take a stupid penalty. So, now shorthanded and down 2-1, I got a chance to race one of the Kings players to the puck after a clear. He beat me to it, but I was able to board play and poke at it. Somehow, the puck squirts out, and is coming across right in front of Quick. For whatever reason, he slides off the post, allowing one of my AI players to swoop in, grab the puck, and just tap it into an open net. A minute later, during the same penalty kill, the same scenario comes up. This time, the puck squirts out directly at Quick (though, to me it looked like the Kings d-man kicked it out from the corner). This time, he stays on the post, but it goes between his feet, hits off his skate and goes in (I got credit for the goal).
I also lit a dude up against the glass, knocking his helmet off...still no penalty. Makes me wonder how much of this stuff they'll tweak and what changes that will make to the things we actually like.
EDIT - Also, just to prove that I'm a complete EA shill, I went ahead and bought my Season Ticket today. I do hope that HUT is more like MUT this year. From this livestream the other day, it definitely looked a little more like Madden's. And they did specifically mention that players won't have "career" lengths anymore. So, once you get them, you can put as long of contracts as you want on them.