So, after playing this for a few hours last night, my take is...
1. The game is very similar to 18. All the talk and reviews stating this is "by far the best NHL" are drastically overblown.
2. There is a bug with the NHL 19 Soundtrack. I was creating a team and when I choose the custom goal horn, it totally shut down the soundtrack throughout the entire game, even on menu screens, etc. I literally had to eventually go into settings, change the audio to "NHL 19" then toggle back to "NHL 19 SOUNDTRACK." Wtf?!
3. Also, when you create a team, there is no way to preview the music for your goals, powerplay, etc. Nothing happens when you switch. You can't hear any other songs. Massive bug that needs fixing.
4. The lighting in this game is off. The players look darkish, especially in player editor mode, and the arena seats look very light, etc. The lighting and shadowing has more extremes than 18. I think I might need to get used to this, but it's frustrating. I made red seats for my area, using Detroit Red Wings red and the seats in the area preview look dark pink.
5. Create a player hair colors are a mess. If you create a player with blonde hair, it looks medium brown. NHL 18 was much better in this department. Like WTH!