The NHL season officially begins on Oct. 12 and every NHL team will be gunning for the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. We're definitely excited to see how the new season unfolds and it looks like we're getting an interesting sneak peek with EA Sports’ NHL 17.
As EA Sports has done every year, the entire 2016-2017 NHL season schedule was simulated in the new game. Based on its simulations, a new Stanley Cup champion was crowned. But before we show you who went on to win the Cup, let’s look at how each conference finished their simulated season, based on NHL 17:
Eastern Conference
The Tampa Bay Lightning dominated the East to earn the number one seed in the conference with 107 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who have been rebuilding for a couple of years, was able to grab the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference as they edged out the New York Rangers by two points. One of the big surprises is the Pittsburgh Penguins finishing fifth in the East after winning the Stanley Cup last season.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning – 107 pts
2. Montreal Canadiens – 99 pts
3. Washington Capitals – 97 pts
4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 93 pts
5. Florida Panthers – 93 pts
6. Philadelphia Flyers – 93 pts
7. New York Islanders – 92 pts – Wild Card
8. Toronto Maple Leafs – 91 pts – Wild Card
9. New York Rangers – 89 pts
10. Detroit Red Wings – 87 pts
11. Ottawa Senators – 87 pts
12. Buffalo Sabres – 85 pts
13. Boston Bruins – 84 pts
14. Carolina Hurricanes – 81 pts
15. New Jersey Devils – 79 pts
16. Columbus Blue Jackets – 76 pts
Western Conference
The Nashville Predators finished the regular season with 110 points, the top spot in the West and the Presidents Trophy (which goes to the team with the most points in the NHL). In all, four teams finished with over 100 points as the Western Conference proved to be the dominant conference. LIke the Maple Leafs, Edmonton has been in a perpetual rebuild and picked up the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, edging out the Calgary Flames by one point. A team to keep an eye on in the West are the Dallas Stars, which features some of the best goal scorers in the league, including Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
1. Nashville Predators – 110 pts
2. Dallas Stars – 107 pts
3. San Jose Sharks – 107 pts
4. Chicago Blackhawks – 102 pts
5. St. Louis Blues – 95 pts – Wild Card
6. Los Angeles Kings – 93 pts
7. Minnesota Wild – 87 pts – Wild Card
8. Edmonton Oilers – 85 pts
9. Calgary Flames – 84 pts
10. Arizona Coyotes – 83 pts
11. Winnipeg Jets – 82 pts
12. Anaheim Ducks – 77 pts
13. Colorado Avalanche – 74 pts
14. Vancouver Canucks – 63 pts
Here is how the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs played out according to the NHL 17 simulation.
The Nashville Predators, just ten years after its founding, won the Stanley Cup over legendary franchise Montreal Canadiens in six games. Filip Forsberg took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs after tallying 26 points in the playoffs. Here is how the rest of the awards shook out for the simulated 2016-2017 NHL season.
- Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP): Connor McDavid (EDM)
- Art Ross Trophy (Most points in league): Connor McDavid (EDM)
- James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best Defenseman): Brent Burns (SJS)
- Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (Most Goals): Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)
- Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie): Carey Price (MTL)
- William M. Jennings Trophy (Goalie with lowest goals against): Martin Jones (SJS)
- Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward): Anze Kopitar (LA)
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Sportsmanship): Nicklas Backstrom (WAS)
- Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Auston Matthews (TOR)
- Ted Lindsay Award (Player’s MVP): Connor McDavid (EDM)
Do you believe the NHL 17 simulation got it right? Do you think there is another team bound to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup this spring? Let us know in our comments section.
