The EA SPORTS NHL 15 Stanley Cup Playoffs simulation predicts that the Anaheim Ducks will keep the Stanley Cup on the west coast with a 4-3 series win over the New York Rangers. Ducks forward Corey Perry fired a shot past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist in the third period to hoist the Cup for the second time in a Ducks uniform. The road to victory wasn’t easy for the Anaheim Ducks as their first three rounds went to seven games. In the simulation, the Ducks came through with close wins over the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild before defeating the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final. Captain Ryan Getzlaf took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP, finishing with an impressive 9 goals and 17 assists for a total of 26 points in 28 games.
For more information on the NHL 15 Stanley Cup® Playoffs simulation, visit the NHL 15 blog.
Other notable storylines:
– The Detroit Red Wings upset the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning in round one, beating them in six games.
– After the first two rounds, the Montreal Canadiens looked poised to win their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1993. The Habs beat the Ottawa Senators and Red Wings in five games but didn’t have an answer against the President Trophy-winning Rangers.
– The Red Mile was rocking for the first half of the Playoffs, as the Calgary Flames were able to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in six games and almost squeaked out a series victory against the eventual Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks.
– After finishing atop the Central Division and being tied with the Anaheim Ducks for most points in the Western Conference in the regular season, the St. Louis Blues were upset by the Minnesota Wild in round one of the playoffs.
A simulation is conducted by artificial intelligence and logic of the videogame that uses real-life data from each player. Results are extrapolated by the videogame when two teams match up based on player ratings, line combinations, and include variances such as injuries and hot streaks to give a realistic outcome of a game or series.