Many Boston Bruins fans are convinced that this year could be the year the Bruins finally win another Stanley Cup, and now they have statistical analysis to back it up.
↵NHL.com reported on Wednesday afternoon that sports simulation website Whatifsports.com predicts that the Bruins will defeat the Vancouver Canucks in a seven game Stanley Cup Final series. In issuing their predictions, the site runs 1,001 simulations of the entire playoffs using regular season statistics. Boston won the championship in 35.96% percent of simulations, as opposed to Vancouver's 35.86%.
↵The Bruins are also predicted to defeat their dreaded first round foe, the Montreal Canadiens, in a four game sweep. Boston advanced in the first round in 82.92% of simulations.
↵How correct has WhatIfSports.com's NHL predictions been in the past? Last year, the site used 2,001 simulations using regular season statistics to predict the Washington Capitals winning the Stanley Cup over the Chicago Blackhawks. In the simulations, the Capitals won 50.92% of the time - but ended up being bounced in the conference quarterfinals to the Montreal Canadiens.