who relish a nil-nil final but the NHL (almost) has it figured. Ditch the tie; make it fun; and resist deciding it with a stupid skills context. Not every tie is a result of two equally-skilled teams having their equality reflected on the scoreboard. You play a game to win, as I recall. Or at least that is the common assumption by me - undoubtedly reflecting my "American" need to "manufacture" a winner. It's not "manufactured", by the way, if the winner does something better than the loser.