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.



This is basically the Stanley Cup final right here, unfortunately, played two rounds early due to the league’s playoff format. The Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning are the league’s two best teams and one of them will be going home after a second-round duel.



Both teams needed seven games to get through the first round...