NHL Playoffs 2012: How the Playoffs Shape Up on EA NHL '12

The second round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs has arrived with some surprises.

Gone are the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks. Gone are three of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.

We have already seen three Game 7's, 16 overtime games and eight suspensions for a total of 40 games. 

Curious to see if the intensity could be matched, the final three rounds of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs were simulated using EA Sports' NHL '12.

Here are the results. 

Conference Semifinals

All team rosters used in the simulation are the current playoff rosters for each team involved, with the exception of Chris Kreider.

Round 2 of the the path to the Stanley Cup has begun. The matchups are as follows:

Western Conference

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) L.A. Kings

Eastern Conference

(1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals

(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

Phoenix Coyotes

Shane Doan - 1 goal, 3 assists

Ray Whitney - 1 goal, 2 assists

Daymond Langkow - 0 goals, 3 assists

Nashville Predators

Mike Fisher - 4 goals, 1 assist

Patric Hornqvist - 1 goal, 2 assist

Ryan Suter - 0 goals, 2 assists

Goaltending

Phoenix

Mike Smith - 3.88 goals-against-average

Nashville

Pekka Rinne - 3.78 goals-against-average

The Result

Phoenix Coyotes in 6 

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) L.A. Kings

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

St. Louis Blues

Patrik Berglund - 5 goals, 2 assists

David Backes - 1 goal, 4 assists

Alex Pietrangelo - 1 goal, 3 assists

L.A. Kings

Dustin Penner - 4 goals, 0 assists

Drew Doughty - 0 goals, 3 assists

Dustin Brown - 1 goal, 1 assist

Goaltending

St. Louis 

Brian Elliott - 1.51 goals-against-average

L.A.

Johnathan Quick - 2.57 goals-against-average

The Result

St. Louis Blues in 7

(1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

New York Rangers

Marian Gaborik - 3 goals, 5 assists

Brad Richards - 4 goals, 4 assists

Derek Stepan - 3 goals, 2 assists

Washington Capitals

Nicklas Backstrom - 1 goal, 7 assists

Alex Ovechkin - 2 goals, 6 assists

Alexander Semin - 7 goals, 0 assists

Goaltending

New York

Henrik Lundqvist - 2.03 goals-against-average

Washington

Braden Holtby - 2.11 goals-against-average

The Result

New York Rangers in 7

(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

Philadelphia Flyers

Kimmo Timonen - 0 goals, 7 assists

Danny Briere - 0 goals, 6 assists

Wayne Simmonds - 3 goals, 2 assists

New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise - 4 goals, 4 assists 

Ilya Kovalchuk - 2 goals, 4 assists

Patrick Elias - 1 goals, 3 assists  

Goaltending

Philadelphia

Ilya Bryzgalov - 2.46 goals-against-average

New Jersey

Martin Brodeur - 1.87 goals-against-average

The Result

New Jersey Devils in 7 

Conference Finals

The semifinals saw some contrast between the goalie play in real life versus NHL '12.

Brian Elliott and Henrik Lundqvist continued to amaze. Mike Smith struggled in the game while Martin Brodeur seemed to turn back the clock with a below 2.00 GAA. 

Conference Finals Matchups:

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

(1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

The Rangers' series brought back memories of the 1993-1994 season, which prompted me to fire up the old Sega Genesis and blow the dust out of NHL '94. 

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

St. Louis Blues

David Backes - 6 goals, 5 assists

Andy McDonald - 5 goals, 4 assists

Carlo Colaiacovo - 2 goals, 5 assists 

Phoenix Coyotes

Ray Whitney - 2 goals, 2 assists  

Radim Vrbata - 3 goals, 1 assist

Shane Doan - 1 goal, 2 assists

Goaltending

St. Louis

Brian Elliott - 2.03 goals-against-average

Phoenix 

Mike Smith - 3.79 goals-against-average

The Result

St. Louis Blues in 5

(1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

New York Rangers

Marian Gaborik - 3 goals, 5 assists

Brad Richards - 3 goals, 4 assists

Ryan Callahan - 2 goals, 3 assists

New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise - 3 goals, 4 assists 

Ilya Kovalchuk - 4 goals, 1 assist

Petr Sykora - 2 goals, 2 assists 

Goaltending

New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist - 2.21 goals-against-average

New Jersey Devils

Martin Brodeur - 2.08 goals-against-average

The Result

New York Rangers in 6

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup showdown, as NHL '12 had it decided, pins two of the league's higher seeds against each other.

Despite the presence of numerous lower seeds in the quarterfinals, a first- and second-seeded team made it to the final series. 

The New York Rangers with their three Stanley Cups take on the St. Louis Blues, who have yet to win a Stanley Cup, being 0-3 in their long history. 

And the winner is...

(1) New York Rangers vs. (2) St. Louis Blues

The Statistics: Top 3 in Points

New York Rangers

Ryan Callahan - 5 goals, 3 assists

Marian Gaborik - 4 goals, 1 assist

Brad Richards - 2 goals, 3 assists

St. Louis Blues

Andy McDonald - 3 goals, 3 assists 

Patrik Berglund - 3 goals, 1 assist

David Perron - 1 goal, 2 assists

Goaltending

New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist - 2.08 goals-against-average

St. Louis Blues

Brian Elliott - 2.06 goals-against-average

The Result

New York Rangers in 7

Stanley Cup Champions: New York Rangers

Stanley Cup Champions: New York Rangers!

While that is a headline I hope to read in June, I assure you the NHL '12 simulation was no hoax.

The stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, which we saw in the Ottawa Senators series, continued throughout New York's playoffs in the game. 

Superstars Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, who boast an 89 and 88 rating, respectively, in the game, stepped up huge throughout the playoffs.  

Lundqvist was able to stymie the offense of the Blues, while the Rangers were able to get just enough goals passed Brian Elliott to outlast St. Louis in a gritty seven-game series. 

Don't like my simulation? Try it yourself!