Buffalo Sabres Get A Slap In The Face Courtesy Of EA Sports NHL 2016-17 Simulation

The Buffalo Sabres got no love whatsoever when it came time to simulate the upcoming regular season.

If the Buffalo Sabres need any additional motivation as they prepare to begin their quest to return to the postseason, they may have gotten some courtesy of the folks over at EA Sports.

Yes, I’m talking about EA Sports’ 2016-17 NHL simulation using NHL 17, the newest entry in the company’s successful video game family.

For starters, the entire simulation comes off as rigged, based on the two teams that supposedly advanced to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final:

We made our prediction, what’s yours?#NHL17 Season Sim: https://t.co/mPCRwDdlk6 pic.twitter.com/fNCZ16EB4s

— #NHL17 (@EASPORTSNHL) October 10, 2016

P.K. Subban and the #Preds beat the #Canadiens to take home the #StanleyCup in @EASPORTSNHL #NHL17. https://t.co/WazHS9JQDt @loung_s pic.twitter.com/7vdjzeYZWy

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 11, 2016

Sure, guys – the two two teams that made headlines by trading star defensemen just happen to be the two teams battling it out for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Uh-huh.

Ridiculous as that prediction may be, I can live with it, because I honestly don’t dislike either of those teams and could care less if one of them lifted the cup. Honestly, I would enjoy seeing P.K. Subban beat his former team when the stakes mattered the most, even if I don’t think there is much chance of these two teams meeting in the playoffs.

However, the true problem comes if you check out the final regular season standings of the simulation. You can find the results here, but allow me to provide you with some quick hits:

Okay – that last part is an exaggeration; McDavid only takes home three pieces of hardware. Still, everything else I wrote is true, interestingly enough.

Clearly, the Buffalo Sabres are not going to worry about this simulation – it’s just a video game, folks. I’m not that stupid. (Well . . . .) Still, it is interesting to see that the Buffalo Sabres are only considered to be 4 points better than they were last season, despite the addition of Kyle Okposo, the return of Tyler Ennis, and the continued development of Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.

And don’t even get me started on how well the Maple Leafs fared. Nope nope nope!

Let me know what you think of the EA Sports NHL 17 simulation, Buffalo Sabres fans – or not! It’s all in good fun.