The puck’s about to drop in the 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs. Once again, we have continued our annual tradition of predicting the winner of the Stanley Cup. Compete against the official EA SPORTS NHL® 18 Stanley Cup® Playoffs Sim at the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge™. Fill out your own bracket and see if you can out-predict our simulation

Will the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in their first season? Can the Pittsburgh Penguins win their third consecutive Stanley Cup? Will the Washington Capitals get past the second round? Check out our full NHL® 18 – 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs Simulation to find out everything you need to know!

THE STANLEY CUP® FINAL

It came down to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Led by Patrik Laine, the high-flying Winnipeg Jets battled against Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup® Final. It was a back-and-forth game that featured stellar saves by Connor Hellebuyck and Tuukka Rask, trying their best to bring home the Stanley Cup for their team.

Entering the third period, Winnipeg was up 2-1 on the Boston Bruins until Patrik Laine wired home a goal on the power play to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. Brad Marchand would score late in the third to make it 3-2, but Dustin Byfuglien sealed the deal with an empty netter to make it 4-2, securing the first Stanley Cup in the Winnipeg Jets franchise history.

TOP Stanley Cup® Playoffs STORIES

• Patrik Laine took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after recording 15 goals and 24 points along route to the Jets’ Stanley Cup® victory. Laine, along with Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and captain Blake Wheeler were four of the top scorers throughout the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mathieu Perreault was the unsung hero for the Jets after he recorded 15 points and was a catalyst on the Jets' power play.
• The Winnipeg Jets Stanley Cup victory made them the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since 1993, ending a 25 year Stanley Cup drought in Canada.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

• The best match-up of the entire Stanley Cup® Playoffs happened when the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets battled it out in the second round. The Jets narrowly edged the Predators in seven games and it seemed like whoever won this pivotal match-up would go on to win the Cup
• The Vegas Golden Knights proved that their regular season success wasn't just a fluke, as William 'Wild Bill' Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault led the team to the Western Conference Final before exiting out in Game 6 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Winnipeg Jets.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

• The Boston Bruins were led by rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy through two tightly contested series against the Toronto Maples Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. The top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak provided the majority of the offensive punch.
• After many years of failing to get past the second round, the Washington Capitals managed to reach the conference final against the Bruins after they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2. Alex Ovechkin was a scoring machine the entire post-season, however the Boston Bruins were able to overcome his offense and the Caps were sent home in the third round.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins failed to three-peat as Stanley Cup® Champions. The Penguins struggled to produce offense all playoffs long, and eventually were overpowered by the Washington Capitals.

Be sure to support your team throughout the playoffs with special NHL 18 GIFs and check out the HUT Playoffs Event in NHL 18!

NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo are registered trademarks and Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved.

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