I am probably not going to help much but it really depends what your after and what system your on. I am on the PS3 and had both but have settled on NHL 10. If your on the ps3 there is no Patch for 2k10. They only patched the 360 version.

the reason I settled on NHL 10 is because the controls on 2k10 can be frustrating at times. I haven't play much since the latest tuner set but it has made NHL 10 even better. Prior to that i thought the star players stood out more in 2k10 and you felt more of a difference between stars and 4th liners.

In closing, I think if 2k10 had better controls I might have stuck with it. I would rent both and see what you think if you can't decide.

EDIT - I just saw you have screen shots from the Show so I assume your on ps3. The lack of a patch for the ps3 was another reason I got rid of it. There was some annoying things with goalies diving headfirst for pucks and leaving the net wide open and we never got the benefit of the patch that the 360 users got.

NHL10 is the more polished, deeper game, with smoother animations & controls {Offense Especially}. So most would say that makes it easily the better game. However, 2K10 has a more organic feel to it. By that I mean the game doesn't feel so scripted. From the way the AI behaves to the way the puck bounces, it seems more natural. Where as NHL10, the AI, especially on Offense, feels like it's "wash,rinse, & repeat". This tends to make the gameplay feel a bit stale, at least to me. If you're in it for Online play it's a NHL10 without a doubt.

anyone that says NHL 10 is better is telling the truth it has more polish and looks a little better. However NHL 2k10 has me playing it more

Not dissing 2K10 since I haven't played it this year. But I ended up with NHL 10 and I'm having more fun with hockey than I have since I can remember. And I get one every year.