Bench Life Sports

Well, the end is finally here. No, not the end of quarantine, but the end of our NHL 20 simulation. Am I sad that my life has come down to writing about a video game rather than writing about the actual Stanley Cup Playoffs? Absolutely. Am I still going to do it because I don’t know what to do with my life without sports? You bet.

As always, make sure to catch up on the previous rounds first:

First Round
Second Round
Conference Finals

Since this is the Stanley Cup Final, I figured I’d break things down into more detail. In addition to giving a summary of what happened in the series, I’ll always break things down game by game to give a better picture of how everything turns out.

I didn’t know this video existed until right now, and after seeing it I’m just even sadder that I’m not actually watching playoff hockey. But if I had to suffer through it then so do you.

Stanley Cup Final

It’s down to the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals to determine the 2020 Stanley Cup Champion. I have to admit, it doesn’t sound like the most enticing matchup, but there is still plenty of star power on both of these teams. Tyler Seguin has been the leading scorer throughout the playoffs so far with 23 points, and it’s safe to say that Alex Ovechkin always keeps things entertaining. But if outstanding goaltending is more your thing, a battle between Ben Bishop and Braden Holtby is sure to be a good one, especially considering the run that Holtby has been on throughout the playoffs.

Game 1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Final
Dallas Stars	0	0	2		2
Washington Capitals	1	0	2		3

Washington Goals:
Oshie, Carlson, Hagelin

Dallas Goals:
Gurianov, Faksa

Three Stars
1. Braden Holtby (2.00 GAA, .939 Sv%)
2. Carl Hagelin (1 G)
3. John Carlson (1 G)

Game 2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Final
Dallas Stars	0	1	1	1	3
Washington Capitals	0	2	0	0	2

Washington Goals:
Backstrom, Panik

Dallas Goals:
Comeau, Pavelski, Hintz

Three Stars
1. Ben Bishop (1.48 GAA, .951 Sv%)
2. Joe Pavelski (1 G, 1 A)
3. Braden Holtby (2.22 GAA, .933 Sv%)

Game 3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Final
Washington Capitals	4	1	3		8
Dallas Stars	1	2	1		4

Washington Goals:
Panik, Vrana, Eller, Dowd, Eller (2), Eller (3), Ovechkin, Wilson

Dallas Goals:
Comeau, Seguin, Lindell, Seguin (2)

Three Stars
1. Lars Eller (3 G)
2. Ilya Kovalchuk (3 A)
3. Tyler Seguin (2 G)

Game 4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Final
Washington Capitals	0	2	2		4
Dallas Stars	1	0	0		1

Washington Goals:
Ovechkin, Oshie, Vrana, Kuznetsov

Dallas Goals:
Seguin

Three Stars
1. Braden Holtby (1.00 GAA, .968 Sv%)
2. T.J. Oshie (1 G, 1 A)
3. Nicklas Backstrom (3 A)

Game 5

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Final
Dallas Stars	1	1	1	1	4
Washington Capitals	1	0	2	0	3

Washington Goals:
Ovechkin, Vrana, Ovechkin (2)

Dallas Goals:
Seguin, Lindell, Radulov, Radulov (2)

Three Stars
1. Alex Radulov (2 G)
2. Tyler Seguin (1 G, 2 A)
3. Jamie Benn (3 A)

Game 6

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Final
Washington Capitals	1	1	3		5
Dallas Stars	1	1	0		2

Washington Goals:
Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Gudas, Kovalchuk, Ovechkin (2)

Dallas Goals:
Lindell, Perry

Three Stars
1. Alex Ovechkin (2 G, 1 A)
2. Evgeny Kuznetsov (1 G, 2 A)
3. Braden Holtby (2.00 GAA, .933 Sv%)

Result: Washington wins series 4-2

That’s a wrap, folks. The Washington Capitals are the 2020 Stanley Cup Champions after knocking off the Dallas Stars in six games. As expected, the Capitals were lead by their captain, Alex Ovechkin, who finished the playoffs with 24 points in 21 games. Washington’s other star Russians, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evengy Kuznetsov finished right behind with 21 points each. But none of it would have been possible without the play of Braden Holtby, who finished the playoffs with a 16-5 record, two shutouts, a .937 Sv% and 2.12 GAA. The game didn’t award a Conn Smythe winner at the end of the playoffs, but Holtby is getting my vote for the award.

The Stars saw their improbable playoff run fall just short of the ultimate goal, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. Tyler Seguin finished the playoffs as the league’s leading scorer with 29 points in 25 games, with his 19 goals also being the most in the league. Joe Pavelski finished second on the team with 22 points, while Alex Radulov rounded out the top three with 19 points. Dallas had 12 players with 10 points or more throughout the playoffs, but in the end they just couldn’t find a way to beat Holtby often enough, while Ben Bishop continued to be average.

Stats Leaders

And that wraps up our Stanley Cup Playoffs simulation. Is it accurate? Well, there’s only one way to find out. Hopefully we have a chance to see the NHL season continue sometime over the summer.