NHL 26 Review

Goaltending was the series' longest running weak point and this is the first honest attempt to fix it. Netminders now position from real tracking data, so they respect shooting angles, track cross crease passes with plausible head movement, and give up rebounds into places that make sense instead of teleporting to a save. Scoring feels earned again because you can see the seam you exploited. Skating physics got another pass too, with weight transfer that makes a hard stop cost you something and a puck carry model that rewards protecting with your body.

The AI reads plays a beat faster than last year without slipping into omniscience. Everything off the ice is where the frustration lives. Franchise remains the same menu tree it has been for most of a decade, Be A Pro still cannot decide whether it is a story or a stat screen, and the mode budget clearly flows to Ultimate Team. As a hockey simulation this is strong; as a package it is treading water.