The NHL playoffs are nearing a record for penalty shots and it's still the first round

Playoff Penalty Shot Parade Hockey

FILE - Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) blocks the penalty shot of Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook, not shown, during the first overtime of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Kings Avalanche Hockey

Los Angeles Kings right wing Quinton Byfield (55) skates for an unsuccessful penalty shot against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period of Game 2 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Sabres Bruins Hockey

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) is congratulated by Conor Timmins (21) after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Senators Hurricanes Hockey

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) watches the puck as Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook, front left, and Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) clash during the second period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) No game in the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs has ever ended with a goal on a penalty shot in overtime and Carolina's Jordan Martinook was not eager to make history. He and the Hurricanes thought they'd won Game 2 of their first-round series against Ottawa when teammate Mark Jankowski scored, but a league-initiated challenge ruled the play to be offside, took the goal off the board and rewound the clock. The very next shift, Martinook was hooked by Senators forward Warren Foegele on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. “I was trying to tell (the referee) we needed the power play, not the penalty shot,” Martinook said. He got turned aside by Linus Ullmark, then scored the winner in double overtime. Through Thursday night's games, there have been four penalty shots already in these playoffs — more through 21 games than the previous three years' worth combined, including zero in 2025 — and the goaltenders have saved all four. Two more penalty shots would tie the record for the most in a single postseason. There doesn't seem to be a reason for the uptick in refs calling for penalty shots over power plays, but there is no doubt it has added rare and must-see entertainment to a compelling first round. “Everything’s very circumstantial,” Buffalo goalie Alex Lyon said after denying Boston's Viktor Arvidsson in Game 3 on Thursday night. He's not sure if he'd rather face the 1-on-1 matchup or endure a 2-minute penalty kill. “To be honest with you, every player in this league has the ability to score on penalty shots,” Lyon said. “So yeah, I guess it’s just more circumstantial, but I don’t really have a definitive answer one way or the other.” Lyon stopped Arvidsson, Ullmark stopped Martinook, Philadelphia's Owen Tippett missed the net against Pittsburgh's Stuart Skinner, and Colorado's Scott Wedgewood made such a highlight-reel save on Los Angeles' Quinton Byfield that jubilant fans in Denver broke the glass behind the Kings' bench. “Never really seen the glass shatter behind the bench,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said following a repair process that delayed the game more than 15 minutes. “That’s a different one. Stuff happens. Fans get excited. Our guys were excited.” Is more grabbing going on during play? More breakaways in a league that has increased the emphasis on offense in recent years? Both could be true. The NHL's rule 24.1 says "a penalty shot is designed to restore a scoring opportunity which was lost as a result of an infraction being committed by the offending team, based on the parameters set out in these rules.” That does provide some latitude for officials to determine what constitutes a penalty shot if a player is unimpeded by an opponent with no one between him and the net. Still, four penalty shots before the end of the first round is unusual. The only playoffs with more penalty shots 2019 (five) and 2008 (six). These are potentially game-changing moments and add even more pressure to a playoff game. Martinook described his experience as being the big guy on one end of a teeter-totter, acknowledging he didn't feel good about himself after not scoring on his opportunity. The 33-year-old grinder made good on his next one to keep from being perceived as the goat. “It was going to be a long night if that penalty shot came back to bite me,” Martinook said. “Hockey's crazy, sports are crazy and being able to score after that, I'll tell my grandkids about that one, that's for sure.” \\\_ AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen in Boston; Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report. \\\_ AP NHL playoffs: and