14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer EA Sports has long used its sports simulation to predict the outcome of major real-world events, and now the studio is announcing that it has employed NHL 16 to create a program that shows the Washington Capitals as the winners of the 2016 Stanley Cup finals.
The team will manage to pick up the trophy for the first time in its history by defeating the San Jose Sharks, with a very competitive set of matches ending in the seventh game with a 4-2 victory.
EA Sports states, "Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby’s Conn Smythe Trophy win is supported by an astounding postseason performance with 16 wins, a 2.10 GAA, .933 SV% and three Shutouts. Captain Alex Ovechkin helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup®, scoring 25 points in 25 games, including 15 goals and 10 assists."
On their way to the finals, the San Jose Sharks defeat the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks, and then they also manage to take down the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final.
The Washington Capitals team has managed to get the Stanley Cup in the NHL 16 simulation, but the hockey simulation has been wrong before, which means fans should still follow the seven games of the finals and see what happens in the real world.
The simulation for the finals is created using the game engine and takes into account a wide range of factors that include player ratings, line combinations and other elements like injuries and hot streaks.
NHL 17 has not yet been officially announced
Most gamers focus on the football and basketball sports simulations, but the EA Sports series focused on hockey has been well received by gamers for the past few years.
The development team has not yet announced plans for this year's installment in the franchise but might do so during the set of events that it intends to hold alongside the coming E3 2016 trade show in June.
It's very probable that the company will introduce changes to the Ultimate Team mode, to find ways to make it more engaging for players in the long term while also finding ways to make the actual hockey mechanics as accurate as possible.
NHL does not have any sort of competition at the moment, and Electronic Arts is aiming to continue its domination of the sports simulation field for the coming years when it comes to American football, hockey, basketball, and football.