14 DAY TRIAL // EA Sports, the simulation division of publisher Electronic Arts, has run a full season simulation using its own NHL 12 and the results show that Pittsburgh Penguins will pick up the Stanley Cup this season after beating the Chicago Blackhawks.
The leading player for the Penguins will be Sidney Crosby, who will miss 17 of the regular season games through injury but will still be able to provide the leadership that his team requires in order to finish second in the Easter Conference on 100 points.
Crosby will also get the Conn Smythe Trophy for his performance on the ice.
The President's Trophy will again go to the Vancouver Canucks, who will manage to get 114 points during the regular season.
The simulation from EA Sports also shows that the Boston Bruins, who have taken the Stanley Cup last year, will be overcome by the Philadelphia Flyers during the first round of the competition in five games.
The Canucks are also predicted to lose to the Blackhawks in seven games.
The best performers in the simulated season include Alex Ovechkin, who is the leader of the Washington Capitals and will be the best offensive player in the league, getting the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay and the Hart Memorial trophies
Steven Stamkos, who is the cover athlete for NHL 12, will get the Rocket Richard Award by scoring 53 goals in one season.
Henrik Lundqvist from the New York Rangers will be the best goalie, getting the Vezina Trophy for the first time with nine shutouts.
EA Sports says that the NHL series has a history of accurately predicting events like: Chicago Blackhawks take the 2010 Stanley Cup; the Vancouver Canucks pick up the 2011 Presidents’ Trophy and the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks meet up in the Stanley Cup final last year.