This is an interesting topic. I find some of the 'narrative' making that NHL94 does can be annoying when all I want to do is 'play' the game. Like when it passes in the opposite direction pressed on the D-pad.
Something I don't think I've seen mentioned is manipulating the hot/cold, momentum, and player energy by pumping up the crowd level with big hits and saves. The louder the crowd gets, I've noticed, the 'better' the team performs.
A way to test this is to select the goalie and spam the save button whenever there's an opportunity to do so. A stoppage in play, like a penalty call, can give you a ton of time to get the crowd pumped up with 'fake' saves. You can even see the crowd move faster as you do it. I think the musics tempo is even a bit quicker. The following face off should be easier to win and your passes/shots should connect more often.
Do it for an entire game, when you get the crowd up close to 200dB, and things get super fast.