The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens certainly gave the fans their money’s worth in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoff Qualifiers series.
The two teams combined for 76 shots, five goals, nine penalties, and – most importantly – two penalty shots.
The first was awarded to the Penguins’ Conor Sheary, who was hooked by Montreal’s Brett Kulik with 3:03 remaining in regulation with the teams tied at 2-2.
The second was called in overtime on Pittsburgh’s Jack Johnson, who held Habs forward Jonathan Drouin on the breakaway.
Like Sheary, Drouin was unable to convert.
The NHL has gone 97 years without two penalty shots called in the same playoff game. The last time it happened was March 29, 1923, in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final between the Ottawa Senators and the Edmonton Eskimos. Referee Mickey Ion actually called three penalty shots in that one; none of the players scored. The Senators won that game 2-1.
Sean McIndoe dug up another amazing bit of trivia about overtime penalty shots.
Believe that was the first overtime penalty shot in NHL playoff history in a game where Jaromir Jagr wasn't playing.
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) August 2, 2020
There were three previous instances of overtime penalty shots, all with Jagr in the lineup.
- April 24, 1996 – Pittsburgh Penguins (with Jagr) vs. Washington Capitals
- April 23, 1998 – Pittsburgh Penguins (with Jagr) vs. Montreal Canadiens
- April 22, 2016 – Florida Panthers (with Jagr) vs. New York Islanders
For the record, no team has ever won a playoff game on an overtime penalty shot.
