Gameplay and Presentation Issues

Dear EA team, I appreciate the effort you put into the game every year. I’m the type of player (playing NHL series from 1994) who, beyond core gameplay (I mainly play Franchise Mode in each yearly release) also cares a lot about the off-ice and off-game details. That’s why it’s disappointing to see so many elements carried over 1:1 from previous editions without much innovation, for example:

• penalty minutes and points overview tables shown during game stoppages have remained unchanged for several years,
• player reactions/ animations in the penalty box, which remain unchanged year after year. 

I also miss things that used to be standard in the 200X series, such as pre-game goalie introductions with their stats. On top of that it would be great to see both teams full lineup overview before puck drop at each game.

Another detail: when the puck goes over the glass behind the net, it should realistically hit the protective netting and fall back onto the ice rather than clipping through it.

Arenas attendance info for each game would also be a nice touch.

Additionally, when a player is serving a penalty (on either team), it would be great to display the remaining penalty time even during stoppages, not just during live play.

There are many small improvements like these that come to mind while playing, so I’m documenting them here. I hope the team continues to listen to the community and can gradually implement changes like these (I fully understand not everything can make it in).

On the positive side, I really like the new small indicator showing when the goalie heads to the bench during the game - that’s a great quality-of-life feature I’ve been missing. It would also be a nice touch to include a short cutscene showing the goalie leaving the crease for a late-game power play during a stoppage, instead of the usual static shot of an empty net.

Thanks for your time and for the continued work. Looking forward to what’s next.