Yes, it is in SQL Server 2014. And it IS by design, and for a good reason. The logging of each individual identity created is a SIGNIFICANT performance bottleneck. The new design only needs to log the gapped value. The problem is that a checkpoint is supposed to be performed when the engine shuts down gracefully, but it doesn't do that when you use the config tool or windows services mmc to shut down the engine (nor on AG failover). You need to issue the SHUTDOWN command (WITHOUT the NO WAIT flag) to avoid the gap issue.

There is also a trace flag you can set to get the older behavior back: TF 272.