Season Simulation Week 12

Welcome to Week Twelve of the EA SPORTS NHL 13: 2012-2013 NHL Season Simulation.Simulations will be released on a weekly basis and will include top headlines, Hockey Ultimate Team Three Stars of the Week, box scores for each game, as well as standings and statistics for the league. The rosters used in the simulation will include all transactions made during the 2012 NHL Free Agency period.

Week Twelve (Dec.26-30) Headlines

· Struggling Powerhouses Kick into Gear:

o Pittsburgh Penguins return to form; jump four spots to 9^th in the Eastern Conference

o Los Angeles Kings are 8-0-2 in last 10 games, move into 6^th place in the Western conference.

· WSH F Alex Ovechkin has 31 goals in 37 games; 9 goals clear of 2^nd place scorer Patrick Marleau

Injury Report:

· No major injuries

Three Stars of the Week: Presented by Hockey Ultimate Team

1. Kris Letang (PIT) – 2GP, 1G 5A

2. Pavel Datsyuk (DET) 3 GP, 2G, 5A

3. Jamie Benn (DAL) 3GP, 2 G, 4 A

Each week, the Hockey Ultimate Team: Three Stars of the Week players will be featured in the NHL 13 ‘Hockey Ultimate Team’ Mode as members of the ‘Team of the Week’. Fans can challenge the ‘Team of the Week’ and can collect the special edition ‘Team of the Week’ items featuring these players.

2012-2013 Conference Standings

Western Conference	GP	W-L-OT	Pts	Eastern Conference	GP	W-L-OT	Pts
1. Vancouver Canucks*	37	27-7-3	57	1. Washington Capitals*	37	25-11-1	51
2. Nashville Predators*	37	22-9-6	50	2. Ottawa Senators*	35	22-11-2	46
3. San Jose Sharks*	35	23-10-2	48	3. New York Islanders*	36	18-12-6	42
4. Chicago Blackhawks	35	21-11-3	45	4. Carolina Hurricanes	38	20-14-4	44
5. Phoenix Coyotes	33	21-12-0	42	5. Tampa Bay Lightning	33	17-10-6	40
6. Los Angeles Kings	37	19-15-3	41	6. Buffalo Sabres	35	17-12-6	40
7. Calgary Flames	34	19-13-2	40	7. Philadelphia Flyers	35	17-3-5	39
8. Dallas Stars	36	19-15-2	40	8. Montreal Canadiens	36	18-15-3	39
9. Columbus Blue Jackets	35	15-14-6	36	9. Pittsburgh Penguins	36	15-13-8	38
10. St. Louis Blues	35	15-16-4	34	10. Toronto Maple Leafs	33	16-12-5	37
11. Minnesota Wild	36	15-17-4	34	11. New Jersey Devils	34	16-14-4	36
12. Edmonton Oilers	35	15-18-2	32	12. New York Rangers	33	16-14-3	35
13. Colorado Avalanche	34	15-18-1	31	13. Winnipeg Jets	32	15-13-4	34
14. Detroit Red Wings	35	13-18-4	30	14. Florida Panthers	35	13-20-2	28
15. Anaheim Ducks	35	11-16-8	30	15. Boston Bruins	35	11-20-4	26

^{*Division leaders}

2012-2013 Statistics

Offensive Leaders		Goaltending Leaders (min. 10 games)
Points	Goals	GAA	SV%
1. A. Ovechkin (WSH) – 49 2. N. Backstrom (WSH) – 47 3. J. Thornton (SJS) – 44	1. A. Ovechkin (WSH) – 31 2. P. Marleau (SJS) – 22 3. J. Skinner (CAR) – 20	1. R. Luongo (VAN) – 1.64 2. C. Crawford (CHI) – 1.86 3. E. Nabokov (NYI) – 1.87	1. E. Nabokov (NYI) - .941 2. R. Luongo (VAN) - .941 3. P. Rinne (NSH) - .936

Assists	Plus/Minus	Wins	SO
1. N. Backstrom (WSH) – 37 2. J. Thornton (SJS) – 31 3. J. Spezza (OTT) – 28	1. A. Vermette (PHX) +20 2. A. Burrows (VAN) +18 3. D. Sedin (VAN ) +17	1. A. Niemi (SJS) – 22 2. P. Rinne (NSH) – 21 3. C. Anderson (OTT) – 21	1. E. Nabokov (NYI) – 9 2. C. Price (MTL) – 5 3. R. Miller (BUF) – 5

Well there’s your look at the top headlines and stats for Week Three in the EA SPORTS NHL 13: 2012-2013 NHL Season Simulation. For a full set of box scores, continue reading below. You can get your copy of NHL 13 here. For the latest NHL news, analysis and insights, visit ESPN.com/NHL.

Box Scores

December 26^th