The NHL isn’t back yet, but we’re going to pretend it is. Over the last month, we’ve run a simulation of how the NHL’s regular season might have played out if the league hadn’t been suspended on March 12. Now, the standings have been set and we’re carrying that forward through the playoffs. This time around, one of our beat writers from each team will be in charge of every lineup decision, the narrative for every playoff game and they’ll get to decide what “happened” in each game. Join us as we make our way through the simulated postseason to crown a virtual Stanley Cup champion.



On March 12, the odds of a Canucks-Wild playoff matchup were literally one percent. Neither team looked very strong and it seemed all but likely that if either team made it, it would be as wildcard fodder. At the time, the Canucks had a 60 percent chance at making the playoffs and the Wild were at 47 percent.



The rest of the regular season...