I simulated the NHL season on NHL 20 and we have received a verdict on the season.
Before I start, I just want to give a heads up that everything I say and how I format the simulation is what I think is going to happen, which is based off of the recent speculation about the return of the NHL season.  There has not yet been an official word on how they are going to format the return, if there is a return.
On March 12, 2020 the NHL suspended the season due to COVID-19 concerns.  Now that we are almost two months in, speculation is rising as to how the season can be salvaged this late into the normal NHL season timeframe.  Being that it is the beginning of May, this is around the same time where the second round of the playoffs begin to wrap up.
Speculation
Both commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly have said numerous times that they intend to resume the NHL season when the time is right. However, they do not want it to have any affects on the next season.  So, it sounds like the players are going to have quite a short offseason if the season is to resume and go well into July and August.
Recently, there was a report from John Scott, the 2016 NHL All-Star MVP, saying that he heard that the NHL is planning on beginning a training camp starting on June 1.  If this is true, this is great news.  It has also been reported that the NHL is looking for two neutral sites for teams to play their games, which leaves me to wonder if they plan to finish the regular season and play the playoffs, or just jump right into the playoffs.  Well, in my opinion, the NHL should just jump right into the playoffs.
At this point, if you don’t want to affect next season, jumping right into the playoffs is probably the best move.  However, most players would probably say that they won’t be mentally ready for a playoff game after taking a few months off from, not just hockey, but skating.  So, would having 2-3 exhibition games after the training camp, prior to the playoffs, be a good idea?  I think so.
The Format
When the season paused, teams were neck and neck with each other, fighting for the division title and playoff spots.  If the NHL were to jump right into the playoffs, it just wouldn’t be fair to the teams who are fighting for a playoff spot and are below a team by a point or two, but have less games played than the team they’re trying to catch.  So, that’s where point percentage comes into play.
The Islanders are a perfect example of this.  Currently, after a having a tough stretch of being winless in their last seven games, they have fallen out of a playoff spot.  However, the Blue Jackets, who hold the final wild card spot, lead the Isles by one point and have more games played.  They have also lost more games than the Isles, but that’s a different story.  However, if point percentage is used to decide who gets into the playoffs, the Islanders would beat out the Blue Jackets and clinch a playoff spot.  Also, from the other methods that have been circling around as to how to format the playoffs, in pretty much all of them, the Islanders would get in.  So, you shouldn’t have to worry.
The Simulation
Here’s where I come into play.  I went ahead and created a custom playoffs in NHL 20, and formatted the brackets how they normally would, except I took the top teams with the best point percentage, rather than points.
Here’s how it would look:

Obviously, as an Islander fan, Boston is not who you want to play.  But, be happy you’re in the playoffs right?
Round 1 Results

Well, the Isles somehow found a way to knock off the Bruins in the first round in seven games.  There were also a lot of upsets, involving the Canucks defeating the Golden Knights, the Predators taking out the Oilers and Calgary eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Round 2 Results

Oof… that’s a tough go for the Isles.  The Isles get swept in the second round for the second consecutive year.  The Penguins take out the Capitals to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, along with the Lightning.  On the West side, the Canucks continue their Cinderella story and the Flames do the same.  The Western Conference Final is between the two wild card teams. Wow!
Conference Final Results

So here it is.  The 2020 Stanley Cup Final is between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Calgary Flames.  A 2004 Stanley Cup Final rematch…
Stanley Cup Champion

And there we have it.  Just like the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the Stanley Cup Champions.
If this is how the NHL playoffs were to be formatted, how do you think it will go?  Who do you think will win the cup in real life?

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