I've said for a long time now that one issue with goalies is a lack of animations as well as the logic of when to use them.
https://www.xbox.com/play/media/2bRKbuz9sa
This is against an AI goalie, but the AI plays a part with human goalies as well, so it still applies.
Watch how the goalie moves as the pass is made at the point for a one-timer. In real life, the goalie would recognize that he has more than enough time to move over for the shot and would just use a t-push to do so in a calm and controlled manner. In NHL 25, the goalie completely panics and does a desperate butterfly slide so far over that he takes himself nearly out of the net for an easy cross-grain goal.
https://www.xbox.com/play/media/sKD9XLGMhi
Another AI goalie, so it's not an issue of a user goalie moving that creates this goal.
Goalie has the post sealed. Pretty much a guaranteed save if he just doesn't move. Instead, the game gives an animation where the goalie inexplicably moves off the post just long enough to give up an easy shortside goal.
There are times where goalies would and should do certain movements to make a save, but the contextual logic for when and where these movements should happen seems to be missing from the game.
I understand goals gotta be scored, but do the goalies need to be THIS handicapped? Goalies in this game are slow, they flop around constantly, they give bad animations, they throw pucks into their own net, etc.
This game is tedious to play for anyone not playing forward.
