2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Prediction

Today, EA SPORTS named the New York Rangers as their official prediction for the 2013 Stanley Cup Champion using EA SPORTS NHL®’s simulation engine.

TOP STORIES

• The New York Rangers win their fifth Stanley Cup in franchise history and their first since the 1993-94 season, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
• Brad Richards wins the Conn Smythe Trophy, the second of his career.
  • Richards becomes the sixth player in NHL history to win at least two Conn Smythe Trophies joining: Roy (3), Gretzky (2), Lemieux (2), Orr (2), Parent (2)

Scroll down to see the complete Playoff Tree and Series by Series Results.

2013 STANLEY CUP FINALS

New York Forward Brad Richards was dominant throughout the Playoffs, tallying 24 points to lead all players in scoring. His partnership with Rick Nash, who scored 14 goals throughout the team's Stanley Cup run, powered the Rangers to victory.

Not to be overshadowed was the performance of Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist had a 16-8 record with a 1.89 GAA and a .917 Sv%, including 2 shutouts.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

• The Chicago Blackhawks looked unbeatable as they progressed through the rounds, winning each series in five games before falling to the Rangers in six games.
• The Western Conference saw two upsets in the opening round with the Red Wings (7) beating the Ducks (2), while the Kings (5) defeated the Blues (4).
• It looked as though the Kings were well on their way to a 2^nd straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance until they were dispatched in the Conference Finals by the surging Blackhawks.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

• The Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first round of the simulation, although they did manage to take their Original Six rivals, the Bruins, to seven games.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins who made some big moves at the trade deadline and looked to be Stanley Cup favorites fell to the Rangers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
• Upsets were rare in the Eastern Conference, but were they did exist, they came courtesy of the New York Rangers.

PLAYOFF POINT LEADERS

The simulation is conducted by using artificial intelligence within NHL 13 that uses real-life data from each player to predict a realistic outcome of each game.