New York Rangers: NHL 18 2017-2018 season simulation
It’s about that time of the year when EA Sports releases their annual NHL game. It is also time for the real NHL season to start getting underway! After going out and purchasing NHL 18, I wanted to see how EA Sports would simulate the New York Rangers 2017-2018 season.
It’s fun being able to take control of the New York Rangers front office in the NHL video games. Controlling revenues at Madison Square Garden (Going to turn MSG into Mercedes-Benz Stadium with those cheap concession prices!).
With video games. I am usually one to play online against other players, but an idea came to me which I thought would be fun. I turned on NHL 18 for the first time and decided to simulate a full season. Hitting random to play as the Florida Panthers so the Rangers could make trades as a CPU without it needing approval. It was time to grab popcorn and sit back and enjoyed the show. The season was all in the computer’s hands.
October –
The New York Rangers couldn’t have asked for a better simulated month of October. The team finished October with an impressive 9-3-1 record. After the first month of the regular season, the Rangers sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 19 points. As a matter of fact, the Rangers currently sit in first place in the whole National Hockey League.
It is also worth noting that their was one team turning even more heads. The surprise after the first month is the Vegas Golden Knights have 18 points with an 8-2-2 record.
Through the first 13 games, Mats Zuccarello leads the Rangers in points with 14. He has contributed six goals and eight assists. Mika Zibanejad is right behind him with 13 points with nine helpers. The Rangers also made it through the first month with zero injuries on the injury report.
November –
At the end of November, the New York Rangers still sit in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers are 15-8-2 with 32 points. There is no room for error, though, as the Washington Capitals are right behind the Rangers with 30 points.
It is no longer Mats Zuccarello leading the charge for the Rangers in points, it’s Chris Kreider. Kreider had a tremendous month of November and now has 21 points with a team leading nine goals and 12 assists. Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Shattenkirk are tied for the team lead in assists with 13 apiece.
The first Rangers player to go down with a significant injury is backup goaltender, Ondrej Pavelec who will be out until Christmas with a sprained finger. Brandon Halverson has been called up to step in while Pavelec is nursing his injury but has yet to start a game for the Rangers.
December –
It was another strong month for the New York Rangers and Mats Zuccarello. The Rangers will leave 2017 with a record of 23-12-3 and 49 points at the top of the Metropolitan Division. The Washington Capitals had a rough December as it is now the Pittsburgh Penguins chasing the Rangers with 47 points.
The Rangers sit tied for second place in the National Hockey League with the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues. The Toronto Maple Leafs will end 2017 with a President’s Trophy chase in mind with 53 points.
Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider keep going back and forth for the team lead in points. Zuccarello reclaimed his throne (for now) as he jumped Kreider and leads the Rangers with 29 points. Kreider leads the team with 14 goals and Zuccarello and Shattenkirk are tied for the team lead in assists with 20 each. In Pavelec’s absence, Halverson started two games and posted a 1-0-1 record.
The Rangers will look to improve on their already stellar 2017-2018 campaign as they enter 2018.
January –
The New York Rangers end January in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 65 points. The Rangers 31-16-3 record has left them one point behind the leading Pittsburgh Penguins. Henrik Lundqvist has a record of 27-15-2 through January with three wins coming via shutout.
Mats Zuccarello continues to impress the Rangers front office as he still leads the team with 38 points. Zuccarello also holds the lead for most assists on the team with 27, right behind him is Shattenkirk with 23.
Rick Nash leads the team in goals with 16 at the end of January with Chris Kreider knocking on the door with 15 of his own. The Rangers have been lucky when it comes to the injury bug. The only notable long-term injury was Pavelec’s sprained finger.
February –
The trade deadline loomed in February, I decided to stop the simulation on deadline day. I just wanted to see what teams were offering and seeing the New York Islanders being interested in moving John Tavares was eye-opening. The Islanders didn’t end up moving him. However, the Rangers did make a big splash. The Rangers traded Anthony DeAngelo and their 2019 first round pick for the unhappy Matt Duchene.
At the end of February, the Rangers gained a much-needed center and currently sit three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers hold a record of 38-21-5 for 81 points heading into March. The least shocking news that came from February is that Mats Zuccarello still leads the team in points with 48. However, Rick Nash is right behind him with 47 of his own.
The Rangers were finally hit with the injury bug. Mats Zuccarello has an injured foot but has been playing through the injury. Zuccarello is expected to be fully healed by early March. Another key injury occurred to Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist started dealing with back spasms and will be out until the second week of March.
March –
The New York Rangers are heading back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth straight season. The Rangers clinched a playoff spot and sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 45-28-6 record. The PIttsburgh Penguins pulled away from the rest of the pack in March and have clinched the division in March with 108 points.
Rick Nash went on a tear in March and now leads the team in points and goals. Nash has 62 points, 36 of which are goals. Mats Zuccarello and Matt Duchene are right behind Nash though with 61 and 57 points respectively. Zuccarello leads the team in assists with 41, but Shattenkirk is right behind him with 40.
Henrik Lundqvist holds a 35-20-3 record through the month of March and Pavelec has a 5-8-2 record. Barring any injuries in the last three games of the regular season, the Rangers will be heading into the playoffs with a healthy roster.
Stanley Cup Playoffs –
The New York Rangers ended up dropping their last three remaining games and finished in third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the President’s Trophy with 112 points. The Penguins, Blue Jackets, Rangers and Capitals were the four teams from the Metropolitan Division to make the playoffs. The Hurricanes and Islanders both missed jumping the Capitals for a wild card spot by one point.
The Rangers faced the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Jackets ended up with home ice advantage because of the Rangers losing their last three regular season games. Unfortunately for the Rangers, this came back to bite them as they fell to the Blue Jackets in seven games.
Chris Kreider led the charge in the first round matchup with a team leading eight points. Kreider also led the team in goals with five. It was safe to say some key players disappeared for the Rangers when they needed them. Nash, Zuccarello, Miller, Duchene, and McDonagh all had two points through the seven game series. Kevin Shattenkirk ended the playoffs with only one point to his name.
Next: Rangers Preseason Preview
It was another disappointing playoff exit in which looked like a promising season, with players stepping up when needed all year long. For any of those interested, the Detroit Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup. The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers finished with the top two picks in the 2018 NHL Draft.