The NHL is in the middle of a goal-scoring shortage. The New York Rangers have played in so many 2-1 playoff games that you’d think it was mandated in the CBA.

According to a recent Associated Press report, goal scoring in the playoffs is at a three-year low. It hasn’t hurt the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, but then along comes a game like Game 2 in New York -- a 6-2 contest in which actual goals were scored by actual players -- and it was a reminder that, yeah, goal scoring is fun. It’s exciting. It’s more entertaining than another 2-1 win.

You know what else is entertaining? A head-butted goal that ends a double-overtime marathon playoff game.

If you missed it, and it’s understandable if you did because it happened in the middle of the night, Chicago’s Andrew Shaw head-butted a goal past Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen in the second overtime of Chicago’s eventual Game 2 win in Anaheim. Shaw thought he had the game winner, and had it counted, it would have gone down as one of the most memorable goals in Blackhawks history.

It was truly a thing of beauty.

“I thought the game was over there,” said Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger, who scored the actual game winner in the third overtime. “We had to regroup. I think we did a great job staying with it.”

Said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville: “It was crazy. Probably got that from the soccer before the games. ... I guess it was one of those instinct plays.”

It took instincts, athleticism and was a true highlight-reel goal. It was also against the current rules, which was why it was pulled off the board.

Goals don’t count when they’re “directed, batted or thrown into the net by an attacking player other than with a stick” according to Rule 78.5.