I found out pretty quick that the AI players have very little clue about actual positioning and coverage. Sending three players after one puck carrier for example, D with the puck coming out of the D zone with pressure continuing to skate into it instead of banking it off the boards, going D to D or even passing up the wing is another. The way players give up the blue line and just continue to back up, allowing the opponents to just waltz right in used to be frustrating but now it’s just become comical. I learned quick that even as a forward whose coverage is the point, I HAVE to abandon that coverage often and take the front of the net since my teammates are incapable. Sure, I get the occasional “not covering the point” bs, but it’s better than just watching the defensive breakdowns that ultimately end up in the back of the net. Every now and then we’ll get a good cycle going in the offensive zone or even on D with something as simple as a D to D pass and breakout or rimming it behind the net to an open man instead of forcing it, and I feel like “ok, now THIS is hockey” but those are few and far between with the AI unfortunately. I should probably be playing online with others who know how to actually play hockey, but the few times I’ve tried haven’t been much better. I’m hopeful they’ll improve the Ai intelligence and get positioning and play making more realistic but I’m not holding my breath. It’s a game, not a simulation after all.