A power play in hockey is a situation where one team has a one or two-man advantage on the ice due to a penalty being taken by the other team. When a penalty occurs in hockey, a team is penalized by being required to play one fewer player for a predetermined duration of time. During this time, the penalized player, or players, are sent to the penalty box, or sin bin, and the team that incurred the penalty is not allowed to call in a substitute. Instead, they are to play out the penalized time short-handed, giving the opposing team the advantage in numbers, or a power play. The team on the power play will send out their best offensive players in a concentrated effort to score with this opportunity.

The rules of a hockey power play include the following:

• The team on the power play has a numerical advantage on the ice, usually having a one- or two-person advantage over their opponent.
• Up to two players per side may serve in the penalty box without substitutions being permitted, giving a team up to a possible 5-on-3 power play.
• There are three types of penalties that can result in a power play for the non-offending team: minor (two minutes), double-minor (four minutes), and major (five minutes) .
• During a power play, the shorthanded team may launch the puck to the opposite end of the rink, and play will continue; icing is not called.
• If a team that is shorthanded can prevent the other team from scoring during the power play, that is referred to as “killing the penalty” .
• If the shorthanded team scores during the power play, that’s a “shorthanded goal” .
• When all players are back on the ice, it’s called “even strength” .

Power plays are a key opportunity for a team to capitalize on to give themselves a chance to win. Coaches are constantly saying that games are won or lost based on the performance of special teams.