Can you hazard a guess? How about outshoot the other team when the score is tied? Here's what happens when you do:
| Win% | |
| By Game | 59.7 |
| By Series | 70.6 |
And it helps to go big. Since the lockout, teams had a Fenwick ratio (ie - Corsi w/o blocked shots) of 55% or more when the game was tied won 26 series and lost just 5, which is an 84% winning percentage. The five who beat the odds?
| Year | Winner | Loser | Round | Fenwick% | Outcome |
| 2006 | Buf | Ott | 2 | 39.6 | 4-1 |
| 2006 | Car | Edm | Finals | 39.6 | 4-3 |
| 2008 | Phi | Mon | 2 | 39.9 | 4-1 |
| 2006 | Edm | Det | 1 | 40.7 | 4-2 |
| 2009 | Ana | SJ | 1 | 41.3 | 4-2 |
All of these wins required some pretty extreme goaltending, often from unexpected sources. So there are two paths to winning in the playoffs: outshoot your opponents when the game is on the line; or have your goaltender hit a performance peak and have the other team not make its shots. If I was building a team, I know which one I'd design for...
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