When EA Sports releases its annual NHL video game, it means the regular season
is around the corner. We decided to simulate the upcoming 2018-19 season with
NHL 19 to see the completely accurate and undisputable results for the upcoming
 season.

There are a number of questions which will find answers during the season. Will
 the Vegas Golden Knights build off of their surprising first season? Will
Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals repeat as Stanley Cup Champions?
 Will the signing of John Tavares make the Toronto Maple Leafs the team to beat
 in the East? Will Connor McDavid win his third straight scoring title? Will
the acquisition of Erik Karlsson put San Jose over the top? And which team(s)
will surprise and which will disappoint?

The simulation was done with trades and injuries off, giving all teams a chance
 to show what they could do at full strength.Regular Season Standings and
Leaders

Eastern Conference

The Tampa Bay Lightning continued to dominate in the regular season, finishing
with a league-leading 119 points while capturing their first Presidents';
Trophy in the process and now the franchise hope it turns into a Stanley Cup.
Despite the trades of Karlsson and Mike Hoffman, the Ottawa Senators got off to
 a hot start and they sat sixth in the league through early November.
Ultimately, though, they couldn';t keep it up, finishing with a
league-worst 71 points and without a first-round pick, giving the Colorado
Avalanche-the team who owns Ottawa';s pick-the best odds at selecting first
overall in June 2019.NHL 19 predicts the Lightning to dominate the Eastern
Conference in 2018-19. (EA Sports NHL 19 for PS4)

Seven of eight Eastern Conference teams from the 2017-18 playoffs returned,
with only the New Jersey Devils failing to qualify.

Tampa Bay Lightning - 119 pts (59-19-7)Toronto Maple Leafs - 113 pts
(54-23-5)Washington Capitals - 109 pts (53-26-3)Florida Panthers - 97 pts
(45-30-7)Columbus Blue Jackets - 95 pts (44-31-7)Philadelphia Flyers - 95 pts
(43-30-9)Boston Bruins - 93 pts (42-31-9)- Wild CardPittsburgh Penguins - 92
pts (40-30-12)- Wild Card Carolina Hurricanes - 88 pts (39-33-10)New York
Rangers - 83 pts (38-37-7)Montreal Canadiens - 82 pts (36-36-10)Buffalo Sabres
- 81 pts (39-40-3)New Jersey Devils - 81 pts (35-36-11)Detroit Red Wings - 80
pts (38-40-4)New York Islanders - 73 pts (32-41-9)Ottawa Senators - 70 pts
(33-45-4)

Atlantic Division:

After landing the biggest free agent of the summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs
were one of the top teams all season long, never falling out of the top three
in the standings after October. The Florida Panthers missed the playoffs by one
 point in 2017-18, but they made sure it didn';t happen again. Aided by a
healthy Roberto Luongo, who played 65 games, the Panthers finished with 97
points to make the postseason as a divisional team. The Sabres continued to
move in the right direction, with their most wins since 2010-11-also 39-but
still finished 11 points out of a playoff spot.

Tampa Bay Lightning- 119 ptsToronto Maple Leafs- 113 ptsFlorida Panthers- 97
ptsBoston Bruins- 93 ptsMontreal Canadiens- 82 ptsBuffalo Sabres- 81 ptsDetroit
 Red Wings- 80 ptsOttawa Senators- 71 pts

Metropolitan Division

The Capitals felt no effects of the Stanley Cup hangover, storming to a 31-6-1
record by the New Year, and while their performance after Jan. 1 was a modest
22-20-2, it didn';t stop the team from capturing their fourth consecutive
Metropolitan Division title.No Stanley Cup hangover this year as the Washington
 Capitals win their fourth straight Metropolitan Division title - EA Sports NHL
 19 for PS4

The Pittsburgh Penguins sat 30th overall with 34 points on New Year';s, but a
27-12-4 record in their final 43 games earned them the final wild-card spot. In
 their first season of the post-Tavares era, the Islanders struggled to a
last-place finish in the Metro.

Washington Capitals- 109 ptsColumbus Blue Jackets- 95 ptsPhiladelphia Flyers-
95 ptsPittsburgh Penguins- 92 ptsCarolina Hurricanes- 88 ptsNew York Rangers-
83 ptsNew Jersey Devils- 81 ptsNew York Islanders- 73 pts

Western Conference

While the West was much weaker than the East, there was still a number of
notable teams.

The biggest trade of the offseason paid off for the Sharks, as the acquisition
of Karlsson vaulted the team into first place in the Western Conference. After
shoring up their depth via free agency, the Dallas Stars returned to the
playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Following a miserable
season in 2017-18, the Edmonton Oilers made their return to the playoffs.After
missing the playoffs in 2017-18, Connor McDavid helped lead the Edmonton Oilers
 back to the postseason - EA Sports NHL19

The playoff picture in the West changed significantly as the Jets, Wild and
Predators failed to return to the postseason, with the Stars, Oilers and Blues
taking their place.

San Jose Sharks- 106 pts (51-27-4)St. Louis Blues - 99 pts (48-31-3)Dallas
Stars - 98 pts (45-29-8)Vegas Golden Knights - 91 pts (39-30-13)Los Angeles
Kings - 89 pts (46-36-3)Colorado Avalanche - 89 pts (42-35-5)Edmonton Oilers -
89 (43-36-6)- Wild CardAnaheim Ducks - 88 pts (39-33-10)- Wild CardArizona
Coyotes - 86 pts (39-35-8)Minnesota Wild - 85 pts (39-36-7)Winnipeg Jets - 84
pts (37-35-10)Chicago Blackhawks - 79 pts (34-37-11)Calgary Flames - 79 pts
(36-39-7)Nashville Predators - 78 pts (37-41-4)Vancouver Canucks - 71 pts
(32-43-7)

Central Division 

After being eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of last season,
 the Blues made changes in the offseason, bringing in Ryan O';Reilly via trade
and Tyler Bozak, David Perron and Patrick Maroon in via free agency. The
result: a return to the playoffs with a Central Division title to their name.
The Avalanche returned to the playoffs and have the best shot at the first
overall pick thanks to the Senators'; struggles.

The perennial championship contending Nashville Predators shocked the hockey
world by finishing last in the division despite a healthy roster all season.
The Chicago Blackhawks continued their fall from grace, missing the playoffs
for a second consecutive season.

St. Louis Blues - 99 ptsDallas Stars - 98 ptsColorado Avalanche - 89
ptsMinnesota Wild - 85 ptsWinnipeg Jets - 84 ptsChicago Blackhawks - 79
ptsNashville Predators - 78 pts

Pacific Division

The Golden Knights showed their debut season was no fluke, finishing second in
the Pacific despite winning seven fewer games than the Kings, but in the cruel
world of loser points, such is life.  The additions of Alex Galchenyuk, Vinnie
 Hinostroza and Michael Grabner helped the Coyotes make a 16 point improvement
from 2017-18, but they came up just short of a playoff berth. Lastly, the
futility of the Canucks continued, as the franchise missed the playoffs for the
 fifth time in the last six seasons and finished dead last in the Western
Conference.The addition of Erik Karlsson has vaulted the San Jose Sharks to the
 top of the Pacific Division- EA Sports NHL 19 for PS4

San Jose Sharks - 106 ptsVegas Golden Knights - 91 ptsLos Angeles Kings - 89
ptsEdmonton Oilers - 89 ptsAnaheim Ducks - 88 ptsArizona Coyotes - 86
ptsCalgary Flames - 79 ptsVancouver Canucks - 71 pts

Points Leaders

For the first time since the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season-when Jaromir Jagr
 and Eric Lindros had 70 points each-, there was a tie in the Art Ross Trophy
race as Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikita Kucherov both finished with 95 points.
Although with the first criteria of the tiebreaker being goals, Tarasenko took
home the title with his 58 goals, besting Kucherov';s 42.Vladimir Tarasenko won
 the Art Ross Trophy in the NHL 19 season sim, finishing with 95 points. - EA
Sports NHL 19 for PS4

Here are the top five scorers by each position (goals-assists-points):

Center:

Steven Stamkos - TBL - 37-51-88Nathan MacKinnon - COL - 40-47-87Tyler Seguin -
DAL - 40-44-84Brayden Schenn- STL - 19-64-83Nazem Kadri - TOR - 37-44-81

Left Wing:

Mikko Rantanen - COL - 24-50-84Jaden Schwartz - STL - 20-60-80Jamie Benn - DAL
- 30-48-78Max Pacioretty - VGK - 46-30-76Johnny Gaudreau - CGY - 24-50-74

Right Wing: 

Vladimir Tarasenko - STL - 58-37-95 (Art Ross)Nikita Kucherov - TBL -
42-53-95Brock Boeser - VAN - 32-50-82Jakub Voracek - PHI - 31-51-82Patrick Kane
 - CHI - 36-45-81

Defensemen:

Drew Doughty - LAK - 17-64-81Oliver Ekman-Larsson- ARI - 18-51-69Erik Karlsson
- SJS - 18-51-69Brent Burns - SJS - 18-42-60Shayne Gostisbehere - PHI -
12-48-60

Rookie Skaters:

Casey Mittelstadt - BUF - 18-22-40Andreas Johnsson - TOR - 12-19-31Filip Chytil
 - NYR - 9-13-22Luke Kunin - MIN - 8-14-22Zach Aston-Reese- PIT - 7-13-20

Playoffs: Results and Leaders

The Presidents'; Trophy curse lives on, as the Lightning were eliminated in
five games by the Penguins in the first round. The Blue Jackets will continue
to look for the first playoff series victory in franchise history, as they fell
 to the first round for the fifth time in five tries. The Maple Leafs won their
 first playoff series since 2004, advancing all the way to the Eastern
Conference Final before falling to the Capitals in six games. Lastly, Vegas
couldn';t change the ending of last season';s Cup Final heartbreak as they were
 sent home in the first round following a five-game defeat at the hands of the
Kings.EA Sports NHL 19 Season Sim of the Stanley Cup Playoffs- EA Sports NHL 19
 for PS4

The Dallas Stars are your 2018-19 Stanley Cup Champions. The Stars went 16-1 on
 their dominant playoff run-including sweeps of the first and second rounds, as
 well as the Cup Final-not losing their first game until Game 3 of the Western
Conference Finals against the Kings. The club clinched its second Stanley Cup
in franchise history with a 3-2 victory over the Capitals in Game 4 to complete
 the series sweep and dashing Washington';s hopes of repeating. Ben Bishop
took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, posting a 16-0-1 record with a
 .916 save percentage (SV%) and 1.15 goals-against average (GAA) in 17
games.Jamie Benn accepts the Stanley Cup as the Dallas Stars win it for the
second time in franchise history- EA Sports NHL 19 for PS4

The top five scorers from the playoffs by goals, assists, points and games
played

Alex Ovechkin - WSH - 12-11-23 in 21 gamesTyler Seguin - DAL - 7-15-22 in 17
gamesEvgeny Kuznetsov - WSH - 8-13-21 in 21 gamesJamie Benn - DAL - 12-8-20 in
17 gamesJohn Tavares - TOR - 7-10-17 in 20 games

Award Winners

Presidents'; Trophy: Tampa Bay Lightning

Conn Smythe Trophy: Ben Bishop (DAL)

Hart Memorial Trophy: Nikita Kucherov (TBL)

Art Ross Trophy: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikita Kucherov
 won a number of awards for their play the 2018-19 season - EA Sports NHL 19 on
 PS4

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Drew Doughty (LAK)

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)

Vezina Trophy: Braden Holtby (WSH)

William M. Jennings Trophy: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL)

Frank J. Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron (BOS)

Calder Memorial Trophy: Casey Mittelstadt (BUF)

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Johnny Boychuk (NYI)

Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)

Ted Lindsay Award: Nikita Kucherov (TBL)

The post NHL 19 Season Sim: The Stars Align Over the Capitals appeared first on
 The Hockey Writers.

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