Equipment Needed
- Pucks
- Defensive zone
Keep pucks moving
A bulk bag of practice pucks keeps penalty-kill structure reps flowing through every look.
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- Four penalty killers set up in a box or diamond shape in the defensive zone; a goalie defends the net.
- A simulated five-skater power play works the puck around the perimeter.
Instructions
- As the power play moves the puck, all four penalty killers shift their shape together to stay between the puck and the most dangerous area.
- Pressure the puck carrier without overcommitting and opening a passing lane behind the pressure.
- Block shooting and passing lanes with active sticks, especially cross-ice passing lanes for one-timers.
- On any loose puck or clearing chance, commit fully to clearing the zone rather than a half-hearted attempt.
Coaching Points
- The shape has to move as a unit — one killer stepping out of position without the others adjusting opens exactly the lane the power play wants.
- Taking away the cross-ice, one-timer passing lane is usually the top priority, since that's the highest-danger shot most power plays are designed to create.
- Communication is constant on a penalty kill; call out puck movement and coverage responsibilities the whole shift.
- Fatigue management matters — a tired penalty-killing unit loses shape discipline, so keep shifts appropriately short in practice too.
Variation
Run it against a specific power-play unit's tendencies for a scouting-based rep, or add a shorthanded rush opportunity for the killers to finish the sequence.