The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping that a fourth Stanley Cup in nine years is in their future, but according to a simulation run by a popular video game, fans shouldn’t stock up on champagne just yet.
According to the good folks at EA Sports, their NHL 18 video game simulation of the 2017-18 season not only doesn’t end with the Blackhawks hoisting the Cup, but it doesn’t even include the Blackhawks in the playoffs.
You read that correctly.
According to the simulation, the Blackhawks will finish with 86 points, good for 12th place in the Western Conference and sixth place in the Central Division. That would mean that the Blackhawks would miss the postseason for the first time in a decade, something they have not done since the 2007-08 season.
Only five teams are projected to have fewer points than the Blackhawks, including the expansion Vegas Golden Knights and the Detroit Red Wings.
The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators are predicted to pace the Central, finishing with 104 and 103 points, respectively. The Edmonton Oilers are projected to win the Pacific Division with 99 points.
In terms of the Stanley Cup itself, EA Sports is predicting that the Tampa Bay Lightning will win their second championship in team history, beating Connor McDavid and the Oilers in the final series of the season.
