Penalty shot in ice hockey

A free shot instead of a time penalty

Normally a foul in ice hockey is punished with a time penalty, and the fouled team then plays on the power play. In some situations that is not enough to make up for the damage. If a foul has taken away a player's clear scoring chance, the referee can instead award a penalty shot: a shot alone against the goaltender.

When is a penalty shot awarded?

The most common case is a foul from behind on a breakaway. The rulebooks set out several conditions that must all be met. Simplified:

• The player has control of the puck and is in the neutral zone or attacking zone.
• There is no opponent between them and the goaltender.
• They are fouled from behind, for example by hooking, holding or slashing, and thereby lose the scoring chance.

Other reasons include a player deliberately dislodging the goal to prevent a certain goal, or throwing a stick at the puck. The exact conditions differ slightly between the IIHF and the NHL.

The awarded goal

If the offending team's goaltender has already been pulled for an extra skater, there is often no penalty shot. Instead, the referee can award a goal directly, because without the foul a goal into the empty net would have been practically certain.

How a penalty shot works

1. The fouled player usually takes the penalty shot themselves.
2. The puck is placed at centre ice. All other players stand at their benches.
3. On the referee's signal, the shooter skates towards the goal with the puck. They must keep moving towards the goal and may not turn back.
4. They have one attempt. If the goaltender saves, there is no rebound.

The goaltender must stay in the crease until the shooter moves. If the penalty shot is scored, it counts as a normal goal. If it is missed, play resumes with a faceoff.

Penalty shot and shootout

In German, the two are often confused. The penalty shot is a penalty during the game. The shootout, by contrast, decides a game that is still tied after overtime (see shootout). The procedure is similar, but the rules on the order of shooters and the number of attempts are separate.

Rare and spectacular

Penalty shots are rare. Many games have none at all. That is precisely why they are among the most exciting moments: the whole arena watches a one-on-one duel. Shooters rely on dekes such as the backhand–forehand switch, while goaltenders try to cut down the angle and stay on their feet as long as possible.