The Chicago Blackhawks may be the defending Stanley Cup champions, but according to simulations done by EA Sports using their NHL 14 video game, their reign at the top will only last one year.
Their replacement as Cup winners will be the St. Louis Blues, who finished behind the Hawks in the Central Division in the simulation but ended up beating the President's Trophy-winning Hawks in the Western Conference Finals by a margin of four games to two. The Blues then went on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a four to two margin to secure their first championship in team history.
Here is the full breakdown in handy graphic form:
The #NHL14 Season Simulation is in! RT if you agree with our picks, REPLY with your own. pic.twitter.com/dC9JYazwrO — EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) September 26, 2013
The Hawks didn't walk away completely empty-handed, however. Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman in the simulation, and Jonathan Toews picked up his second consecutive Selke Trophy, given to the league's best defensive forward. Toews also was the Hawks' leading scorer, with 30 goals and 48 assists in only 75 games played. Patrick Kane played in all 82 and finished one point behind Toews, with 25 goals and 52 assists.
Corey Crawford also got some love in the simulation, winning 39 games while racking up a 2.45 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.
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What do you think of the simulation, Hawks fans? Our playoff picks will be released on Friday.
