As much as I don't want to agree with this, I kind of have to, to an extent. I even play with 10/10 attribute effects, which ought to make the gap between different players skill bigger. But somehow during a game (to some extent almost every game) there's a moment where the things just doesn't add up.
There is some kind of boost to the AI that has nothing to do with me letting my guard down. Everything just moves into hyper (very common at the end of periods), and while I understand if the team acts with more desperation, they have no business skating, shooting and passing much faster, especially with 10/10 attribute effects. I'm not sure, but could it possibly be worse if you play 5/10 (standard setting)?
When these moments or parts of a game happen, it's a bit like "Uh oh, the AI is going to score now unless I..." and somehow even if I know how to stop it, and during a natural part of the game would, the poke or hit that would normally work, miss. Sometimes it's enough for a player to pass the blue line and shoot, and the puck is like The One Ring, with a will of it's own, determined to get in. Other times it's Radko Gudas channeling Mario Lemieux's spirit and dangle through my defense as if what I do with my controller doesn't matter.
I'm feeling a bit torn about this. I guess some hocus pocus is required for the AI to succeed and not fall flat because I as a player dominate them more often than not. But I rather feel tactically outplayed (where I can try to adapt) than see cheap goals against because the AI needs to score on a low-danger shot against an elite goalie when 2 seconds remain of a period. Because some goals will happen if a player is allowed to pass the blue line, and no one can be expected to defend to a level where the opponent isn't allowed to shoot.
It's not Mario Kart-level-boost to AI (where AI get's all sorts of advantages when you are in the lead), but there's something that happens every once in a while where it's a near hopeless feeling to defend. It's like a countdown starts and you can see the goal coming seconds before it actually happens.
I'll try to put together some examples of these things, both the average attack and when I experience the seemingly unstoppable attacks.
