EA Sports has run its annual simulation with its latest hockey game and NHL 20 has officially predicted that the Boston Bruins will be the 2019-2020 Stanley Cup Champions. The NHL season has officially kicked off, and fans are quickly seeing how well newly formed teams should perform this season. It's still too early to state anything definitive, but the excitement amongst hockey fans is understandable.
Of course, as the NHL season ramps up, diehard fans and analysts alike are going to be wondering how strong of a chance various teams have at capturing the Stanley Cup this year. The St. Louis Blues reminded everyone last year that anyone can claim hockey's ultimate prize, after the team was dead-last in the league halfway through this past season. They then rose up to eliminate the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals and placed their names on Lord Stanley's chalice. Now, is there a chance that Boston could strike back this season?
According to EA Sports' NHL 20, the Bruins will return to the Finals but will deliver their fans a very different outcome. That's right, EA Sports' simulation predicts that the Boston Bruins will win the big one this season, vindicating all of the heartbroken fans that backed them in their run last year. Apparently the Finals will also feature the Las Vegas Gold Knights, but the Bruins will defeat that team in six games.
Additionally, the simulation predicts that the Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand will be awarded the Conn Smythe trophy after amassing 32 points in 25 games during the NHL playoffs. That's an impressive feat to be sure, provided that it actually pans out that way. Still, there are varaibles that the simulation can't plan for that often keep the results from being set in stone. Injuries, hot streaks, trades, and more can alter the chemistry of a team in major ways. You can never truly count out the underdog in all of this, as last season made abundantly clear.
Of course, the simulation is just for fun. Admittedly, it's less fun for Toronto Maple Leafs fans that see EA Sports' latest simulation has their team being elimnated by Boston in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs... again. It's a sore spot for Leafs Nation to be sure, but it's just a simulation for now. Plus, the Leafs' own Auston Matthews is on the cover of NHL 20, so at least they have that this year. Indeed, at least we have that.