If you believe in NHL preseason video game simulations, the Boston Bruins will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. And the Anaheim Ducks will be your 2015-16 Stanley Cup champions.
The folks at EA Sports ran their annual season simulation in their new video game, “NHL 16,” playing out the entire 2015-16 campaign to determine playoff seeding and simulating the playoffs to crown a champion.
The Bruins don’t fare too well in this exercise, finishing the regular season with 90 points to miss the postseason by just one point. The Tampa Bay Lightning pace the Eastern Conference with 101 points, but it’s the Montreal Canadiens who top the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
In the Western Conference, the Ducks lead all NHL teams with 112 points and sneak by a resilient Minnesota Wild team to reach the Cup final. There, they take down Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Carey Price and the Habs to win their first Stanley Cup since 2007.
Needless to say, the Canadiens weren’t too pleased when they heard this news.
The simulation also predicts big things from Edmonton Oilers rookie Connor McDavid, who tallies 73 points (29 goals, 49 assists) to win the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Will the 2015-16 season play out exactly like this? Not likely. But it’s still fun to predict.
