Yes, slashes are being called more - honestly, I think this enforcement isn't a bad thing as some blatant slashes have often been missed in prior seasons, and many good players get injured by lesser talented players due to the slashes. However, the "over-enforcement" is bad too - hopefully the ref's will fix that.
The faceoff rule, not sure what to make of that. You get one freebie - if you get thrown out of circle second time on same faceoff - bench minor. Players will adjust to this eventually, but it is a little strange of a rule. Isn't it penalty enough to have, in most cases, your second or third best faceoff guy taking a faceoff if your first guy or two gets tossed?