With COVID-19 causing a suspension – or as Uncle Gary B would like to say: *pausing* – of the National Hockey League, there are questions on when and maybe even if we will see the completion of the 2019-20 season. If things improve in the next 30 to 60 days, there is a solid chance that we could see some sort of completion, but what that might look like will be anyone’s guess.

I myself am not the type to wait around to have other people figure it out. Also with no actual sports on my TV, I am bored as heck. Thankfully, I have a copy of EA Sports’ NHL 20 and with all this time on my hands, I’ve realized that we don’t even need actual hockey* when I can just simulate the rest of the season on my XBox!

So that is what we’ll have here every night until the real thing comes back, or until we play this whole thing out to the awarding for the Stanley Cup in June.

All games from the time of the league suspension (March 12, 2020) will be simulated using NHL 20 and the rosters that were set by EA on February 25, 2020. (If EA updates the rosters again, the latest roster update will be used.) Games will be computer simmed (no player input on either team) with eight minute periods at Superstar level – this seemed to produce the most realistic result with goals and shots.

And of course being that this is a Jets blog, emphasis on these nightly recaps will focus on the Jets push for a playoff spot… But you’ll see that later tonight.

So obviously this post was published on Saturday morning and we’ve gone two full nights without hockey already, so there is some catching up we need to do. Here’s how Thursday the 12th, and Friday the 13th would have played out had we actual NHL action playing…