Steve Valiquette

Now let's talk about the overtime goal that we saw the other night when Anaheim scored against the Oilers and paling throws it from the corner and he throws it at net front.

He threw it to the top of the crease, not at the net.

Now, I sent a picture on Twitter for you guys to look out just so we can talk about the dead angle.

Because the dead angle is a line that goes from the back of the post all the way to the boards under the hash marks.

So when players get into that area and they're throwing pucks, when you say net front, we're not talking at net, though.

It's at the top of the crease.

And you're looking to create off the pile.

That's why those goals are so difficult to save.

And that's why they're going in at a really high rate.

One of the things I looked at today for you guys was the difference between offense in the playoffs versus offense during the regular season.

This goes back to a conversation we used to have with Benoit Allaire.

Before the playoffs, he'd sit Henrik and I down, and he'd say, guys, we've got to practice differently for the next few weeks, getting ready for the playoffs.

We'd start working on ricochets, layered screens, because he said 65% of all goals are either going to go off a screen, a deflection, a broken play, or a rebound.

That's playoff hockey.

So one of the things I looked at here, fellas, was that broken plays this year in the playoffs, they are the number one chance that has gone in more frequently, and the chances are happening more frequently, as well as screens.

Now, that doesn't surprise anybody, but when you look at the teams, and I sent this on Twitter for you guys to see, that are scoring goals off broken plays, it's amazing to me when it's by design.

Because you look at Minnesota right there, Buffalo, Anaheim, these teams by design are throwing pucks at the pile, either from the point or from the corners in dead angle and creating these types of plays that you can score off of.

And the problem right now that, say, Ottinger is having in the Minnesota series is he's over-challenging to the top of his crease where his feet now are in the white ice.

So there's a lot of net behind him.

And anything that skitters to his left or right becomes a broken play goal.