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, 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.

In ice hockey, a team is considered to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice. 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. During the NHL’s regular season, overtime is played 3-on-3. If there is a penalty called in overtime, the team who goes on the power play will have an extra skater, creating a 4-on-3 power play. If two penalties are taken by the same team, a 5-on-3 power play will follow.

Some important rules surrounding power plays in ice hockey include the difference between minor and major penalties, and the fact that both teams cannot be on a power play at the same time. If a goal is scored by the team on a power play, the power play ends. Power plays are tricky situations for the short-handed team, but they often result in some of the most exciting plays in ice hockey.