NHL 24 Feedback

I went back to NHL 23 and it made it glaringly obvious how much of a step back NHL 24 is in comparison.

For context - I play on average 3-4 nights a week, 2 hours per session, usually with friends. I hit Platinum almost every season. I know it's nothing special, but I'm not terrible nor am I the best. I'd say I'm pretty average with sparks of above average here and there.

Defensive Options -

One of the biggest problems with NHL 24 is that a build feels defensively handicapped unless you have a power up equipped, which pigeonholes you into certain builds that require power ups for poke checks, hitting, or interceptions. Every player should be able to poke check, hit, and stick lift at least somewhat effectively.

Skating -
In NHL 24, it feels like you're skating in mud. Even with the highest speed and acceleration, it feels like I had 25 lb weights strapped to my ankles. With the puck, without the puck, hustling, not hustling, it doesn't matter. It just feels terrible.

Gathering Loose Pucks -
In NHL 24, I am consistently skating past loose pucks that in past games, my character would just...gather. Now, you have to slow down, face the puck, and then gather the puck. Or just have a powerup to gather it quicker, but that goes back to my first point.

Creativity -
Movement with the puck, especially in the neutral and offensive zones, feels so boring compared to NHL 23. Even when not playing a hyper-speed build, in NHL 23 you can stop and start, LT to throw people off, flip the puck up, etc. There are so many options.
In NHL 24 the primary strategy to enter the offensive zone is to curl back and forth endlessly while going forward until you're in the offensive zone, which is quite possibly the lamest playstyle I've seen in WOC so far.

RNG and Game Mechanics-
Perhaps the biggest issue I have with NHL24 is the fact that I feel like I'm playing against game mechanics vs. other players. Goalies flopping around on simple shots, poking a put free multiple times but for some reason, not able to gather it. The abyssal pressure system forcing you to play a certain playstyle. Glitch and cheese goals. There are so many deliberate game mechanics that are out of your control that instead of focusing on your playstyle, positioning, and making plays, you have to focus on what the game is going to throw at you.

NHL 24 is going full sim and it doesn't feel good. Gone is the speed of an NHL game that we've had for the last 15 years. Gone are the days where you can dangle around bad defenders in the offensive zone. NHL 24 feels like a generic husk of what was once the most exciting sports game EA had. It's been Maddenified, so to speak.

Edit: Modified the subject to better reflect the content of the post. -CM