First off welcome too the EA'S NHL series.
Second get accustomed too playing the game on the most realistic level possible by using sliders for that purpose.
http://www.operationsports.com/forum...3-sliders.html
^You can find the sliders in the settings menu of the game
After applying sliders play in "Play Now" with different NHL teams to understand the differences between good & bad teams and good & bad players. Even look at the roster of your favorite team you will be surprised at who can do what in the game.
Get into practice mode and understand how to properly cycle the puck.
-Overload
-Behind The Net
-Crash The Net
Are the the three cycle plays available for each line. Your forwards are apart of the cycle while your D man guard the blue line.
Don't just pass the puck around for the sake of passing do it within the cycle's design so your A.I. teammates don't get confused. When in doubt go behind the net with the puck to reset the zone or pass to the D man.
Once you get the offensive zone down I find applying the same logic to defense fairly easy. On Defense just identify the cycle their using and just defend accordingly. D man by each side of the net and forwards up on the slot facing the D man. Because the sliders your using mimic real life only check to separate the player from the puck AS A LAST RESORT most of the time a well timed poke check or stick lift is more effective.
Also remember that players skate a different speeds so positioning is everything. Get accustomed to locking down a space on the ice more than chasing a guy down. If you are using a fast guy position him well and you will get the puck more often than not and if you have to chase him down well your guy is fast so there is no problem however with a slower player this will not occur easily.