Ya you are right it is a terrible hockey game online especially with how laggy it is online in this mode. Also having problems with that pass issue doesn't help. Can't do any passing plays at all when you can't pass the puck hard. Unfortunately almost everyone in the East dropped. Wish there were more people to play in the East.
Well, what I was more referring to was the physics. I think a lot of people who play (and enjoy) this game don't even think about these things. The puck is as magnetic as ever. Making a good defensive play can at times hurt you more than just not doing anything since a blocked shot/pass will pull the goalie in the wrong direction, and often gets redirected right to another player on the offensive team, giving them an easy shot.
On top of that, redirects almost ALWAYS go toward the net (except when the puck hits off the goalies pads and just bounces right back in front). If people would specifically watch and count the number of times a puck gets directed toward the boards, they'd probably be shocked. There's hardly ever a loose puck in this game.
Then, even the times when you are in position and do the right thing, the puck will clip through sticks/body parts in its relentless quest toward the net. I've compared this many times to a baseball game where you could swing the bat through the ball and have it called a strike. Or hitting a ball through an outfield wall and just being able to continue running. EA boasts about the "Sports Game of the Year" awards that NHL gets...but when you think about it in those terms, no game would get away with that.
And that doesn't even scratch the surface. AI issues, size "mattering", and all the other nonsense that EA alleges that they've worked on. It's a trash game. But it's the only hockey we have. This is why people in this league need to be flexing their sportsmanship rather than their dominance. Like I said, I don't know the tale of the tape since I can't look at box scores. But everyone should be playing a realistic style. And if anyone has numerous complaints against them that they do not play that way, it will force my hand.