The Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes managed a penalty-free game on Monday night. It’s not necessarily that none were committed, but none were called. Referees Dave Jackson and Garrett Rank had a quiet night, with the only whistles coming for offside plays, icing, pucks out of play, and stoppages by the goaltenders.
It’s the tenth penalty-free game in the past 25 years, according to Hockey Reference, and at least the twentieth overall.
Previous games with no infractions called:
- 4/9/14 – Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames (CGY W 4-3 SO)
Refs: Ian Walsh & Ghislain Hebert - 3/6/14 – Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins (BOS W 3-0)
Refs: Greg Kimmerly & Mike Leggo - 11/30/13 – Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche (COL W 3-2 SO)
Refs: Gord Dwyer & Dan O’Halloran - 2/28/13 – Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders (TOR W 5-4 OT)
Refs: Marc Joannette & Ian Walsh - 2/6/12 – Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR W 6-3)
Refs: Marc Joannette & Rob Martell - 5/27/11 – Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins (BOS W 1-0)
Refs: Dan O’Halloran & Stephen Walkom
This was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals - 4/2/10 – Chicago Blackhawks at New Jersey Devils (CHI W 2-1 SO)
Refs: Greg Kimmerly & Paul Devorski - 3/28/01 – Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs (BOS W 3-0)
Refs: Don Koharski & Dennis LaRue - 4/9/00 – Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche (COL W 3-2)
Refs: Greg Kimmerly & Dennis LaRue - 2/17/80 – Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres (T 2-2)
Ref: Wally Harris - 1/26/80 – Hartford Whalers at New York Islanders (NYI W 3-2)
Ref: Wally Harris - 3/13/76 – New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks (NYR W 7-3)
Ref: Lloyd Gilmour - 2/4/73 – Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders (T 1-1)
Ref: Unknown
Prior to 1973, it gets a bit tougher to track down. We did find a few:
- 2/20/44 – Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks (T 0-0)
Ref: Bill Chadwick - 3/16/33 – New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens (MTL W 2-1)
Ref: Unknown
Reported as the league’s fifth penalty-free game - 3/10/27 – Pittsburgh Pirates at Detroit Cougars (DET W 7-1)
Ref: Unknown
- 1/1/26 – Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Pirates (MTL W 2-1)
Ref: Unknown - 1/31/23 – Montreal Canadiens at Hamilton Tigers (MTL W 5-4)
Ref: Lou Marsh
Confirmed as the first penalty-free game in the NHL
There are certainly more, but we’ll have to await the NHL’s historical stats expansion to confirm.
* While a December 13, 2010, game between the Atlanta Thrashers at Ottawa Senators had no on-ice penalty minutes handed out, it has been left off our list for the infractions called. There was a too-many-men penalty called on the Thrashers and a penalty shot awarded after a Senators player hooked a Thrasher on a breakaway. Referees for that one were Tom Kowal and Bill McCreary.
