The race for the Stanley Cup, is set to begin tonight and NHL 19 has run their annual playoff simulation to determine this year’s champion.
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According to the simulation, the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to capture the franchise’s second Stanley Cup (2004). After tying the NHL record for most wins in a single season, the Lightning square-off against the St. Louis Blues in a hard-fought seven game series, before captain Steven Stamkos becomes the first to raise the cup for the Bolts in Amalie Arena.
Some other notable predictions from the season simulation include:
- After a dominant regular season highlighted by 41 goals and 87 assists, Nikita Kucherov carried his strong play into The Stanley Cup Playoff and was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoffs Most Valuable Player
- Despite finishing with the best record in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames were ousted in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche in six games
- Another magical run looked to be in the cards for the Vegas Golden Knights, making their second consecutive Western Conference Finals before falling to St. Louis
- The defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals cruised through the first two rounds, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in five games and then sweeping the New York Islanders before falling to the Lightning in six games
- Rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington powered the St. Louis Blues to a miraculous regular season turnaround and his dominance didn’t stop there, as he finished the playoffs with the best Save Percentage among all netminders in the postseason
Make sure to read the official NHL 19 blog post with plenty more details. You can also fill out your own bracket here.
