Following in the tradition of playing a game of Madden to predict the winner of the Super Bowl, EA Sports has predicted the San Jose Sharks to win the NHL's Stanley Cup championship.

The final series score in the simulation? San Jose 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 2.

EA Sports' NHL 08 has predicted that the San Jose Sharks, led by Conn Smythe Trophy Winner Joe Thornton, will take the 2008 Stanley Cup next spring. According to the company, the Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 4-2 in the simulation.

San Jose's NHL 08-fueled journey to the Stanley Cup started with a series win against the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, says EA. That was followed by another seven-game series against the Red Wings, which earned the Sharks a place in the Western Conference finals against the Edmonton Oilers. After defeating the Colorado Avalanche and 2007 Stanley Cup winners the Anaheim Ducks, the Oilers nonetheless could not match the Sharks in the finals.

Chaos Swordsman via sports.ign.com »