THE BUZZ: EA has looked into its computer generated crystal ball and have determined the Pittsburgh Penguins will best the Chicago Blackhawks to win the 2012 Stanley Cup.

The simulation, run via EA Sports’ NHL 12, has Sidney Crosby missing 17 games during the regular season, but dusting himself off and leading the Penguins to second place in the Eastern Conference standings and the team’s fourth Stanley Cup Championship. The game has the Penguins beating the Blackhawks four games to two in the series.

In other predictions, the game looks to the Vancouver Canucks to win the 2011 Presidents’ Trophy once again with 114 points in the regular season, the defending champion Boston Bruins falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round and the Canucks losing the Western Conference Finals to the Blackhawks in seven games.

Before you dismiss the predictions as mere clever marketing, remember the EA Sports NHL franchise has successfully predicted such things in the past, including the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup win in 2010, the Vancouver Canucks picking up the Presidents’ Trophy in 2011 and the Stanley Cup Final pairing of the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.

EGM’s TAKE: It’s always fun to see how the computers match up against reality. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be making any bets based on this info.

What do you think about NHL 12′s predictions for this season? Tell us below.