A shorthanded goal in hockey is a goal scored by the team that has fewer skaters on the ice because one or more of its players are in the penalty box, meaning they score while at a numerical disadvantage against a team on the power play.

Quick Scoop: What Is a Shorthanded Goal in Hockey?

In ice hockey, teams usually skate 5-on-5 (five skaters plus a goalie each).
A shorthanded goal happens when:

  • One team has a player (or players) in the penalty box, so they are playing with fewer skaters.
  • The penalized team is said to be “on the penalty kill” or “killing a penalty.”
  • If that penalized team manages to score a goal against the team that has the man-advantage (the power play), that goal is called a shorthanded goal.

Think of it like this:

The team that’s supposed to be just surviving defensively flips the script and scores instead.

Why It’s a Big Deal

Shorthanded goals are considered:

  • Hard to get, because the scoring team has fewer skaters and is under pressure.
  • Huge momentum swings, often energizing the bench, crowd, and changing the feel of the game.
  • Signs of smart, aggressive penalty killing and quick counterattacks.

Example:
Team A takes a penalty, goes down to 4 skaters vs. Team B’s 5 (Team B is on the power play).
If Team A steals the puck and scores on Team B’s goalie, that’s a shorthanded goal.

Extra Nuggets and Variations

  • The penalized team is “short handed” because of the penalty; the non-penalized team has the “man advantage” or “power play.”
  • In most leagues, if the team on the power play scores during a standard minor penalty, that penalty ends right away, but this doesn’t apply the same way to major penalties.
  • In the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), a minor penalty ends if either team scores; a shorthanded goal there is nicknamed a “jailbreak goal.”

Mini FAQ

Is every goal while a player is in the box “shorthanded”?

  • Only if the scoring team has fewer skaters on the ice than the opponent at that moment.

Does the goalie count in this?

  • The “short handed” part refers to the number of skaters, not whether the goalie is pulled or not.

TL;DR:
A shorthanded goal in hockey is when the team that’s down a player (killing a penalty) scores against the team on the power play, turning a disadvantage into a big momentum boost.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.