What is the 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
A 5-on-3 Penalty Kill is, besides the penalty shot, the most exciting or stressful situation in the game, depending on which team you’re on. A team that commits a subsequent penalty infraction following an original penalty kill must remove the guilty player, which results in that team being two players down, or three players to five. This is an extremely challenging situation for the penalty killers, as there will always be two players open on the powerplay.
What are the benefits of using a standard 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
While it’s difficult to completely cover every option on a 5-on-3 powerplay, a 5-on-3 Penalty Kill should still be organized to prevent the most dangerous of scoring chances. Most teams will use a triangle formation that positions two players on whichever side the puck is on during a standard 5-on-3 powerplay. This prevents cross-ice passes, which are nearly impossible for the goalie to stop. An organized 5-on-3 penalty kill will also instill confidence in the penalty killers, which is often all a coach can ask for in these situations.
What are the disadvantages of using the standard 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
The disadvantages of a 5-on-3 penalty kill are mainly the fact you’re killing a 5-on-3 in the first place. There is too much ice to cover for three players playing against five. An additional disadvantage, however, rests in simply being unprepared. Of course the situation is daunting, but players who are prepared to at least follow a formation, even if it’s simple and straight-forward, are more likely to make a mistake, when perhaps the best course of action is to stand your ground and force the powerplay to make a mistake.
What are the forward and defensemen responsibilities for the standard 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
Teams can either use two forwards and one defenseman or two defensemen and one forward (or three players who normally play the same position), because the even strength positions don’t matter much to the 5-on-3 penalty kill. Each of the three players has the same responsibilities: intercept cross ice passes, stand in shooting lanes to block shots, clearing pucks down the ice when given the chance, and prayer.
Which coaches use the standard 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
The best 5-on-3 penalty schemes are created by coaches who have distinct knowledge of an opponent’s 5-on-3 powerplay formation. Let’s say an incoming team has a player with a blistering one-time slapshot. 5-on-3 situations are rare, but if a coach doesn’t know about that player’s specific strength, the 5-on-3 penalty kill could be over quickly. Many coaches will use their timeout when they’re awarded a 5-on-3 powerplay, which gives the penalized team’s coach a chance to draw their preferred penalty kill formation out for the incoming players.
What skills or strengths does a team or player need to run the standard 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
Besides luck, teams need the right level of preparation to defend against a 5-on-3 powerplay in addition to anticipation skills, good stick-checking skills, and effective communication.
Which teams are the best examples that use the standard 5-on-3 Penalty Kill in hockey?
The best examples of teams who find themselves killing a 5-on-3 penalty are actually the worst examples. This is a statistic in which a team doesn’t want to lead. If a team leads their league in time spent killing penalties, any penalties, that’s not a good thing. The best examples of teams who use the 5-on-3 Penalty Kill are the teams who use it the least.
