What happens when both teams get penalties at the same time?
I · Intermediate · Penalties · 5 of 13When both teams get equal penalties at one stoppage, substitutes come on at once, so neither side is short. Any difference is served as normal. A team never drops below three skaters: a third penalty waits to start until one of the first two ends. Players leave the box only when their team may have more players.
How it works
- Equal penalties: players go to the box; substitutes replace them at once.
- Release: at the first stoppage after their penalties end.
- Cancelling: majors first, then minors and double-minors, as far as possible.
- Unequal: the difference is put on the clock and served as normal.
- Last five minutes and overtime: a minor against a major is served at once as a three-minute difference.
- Three skaters at least: a third penalised player goes to the box but is replaced; their time starts when another ends.
- Release with three in the box: only at a stoppage, unless the team is entitled to more than four on the ice.
- Short-handed: below the opponent's strength because of penalties.
- Equal minors in regulation: substitutes come on, so play stays at full strength.
The glossary has the coincidental penalties, the short-handed, the numerical strength, the man advantage, the delayed penalties (third penalty) and the penalty kill.
Tricky cases
One player from each team gets two minutes. Is it 4-on-4?
No. Coincidental minors are replaced at once, so play stays 5-on-5.
A team already two short takes another penalty. Does it drop to two skaters?
No. The third player is replaced on the ice and their time starts when the first penalty ends.
Late in the third, one team gets a minor and the other a major. What is on the clock?
The three-minute difference, served at once like a major.
Who decides which of two expiring players goes back first?
The captain of that team.
Why the rule exists
Cancelling equal penalties stops both teams being punished into a scrappy game with too few players. The three-skater floor keeps the game playable.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Coincidental minors | Substitutes at once | IIHF 19.1 |
| Last five minutes | Difference served at once | IIHF 19.3 |
| Third penalty | Delayed start | IIHF 26 |
| Overtime | Teams adjusted around 3-on-3 | IIHF 84.3 |
From the rule book
International Ice Hockey Federation, Official Rulebook 2026/27 (version 1.0, June 2026), Rules 16.2, 19 and 26 and Appendix II (Coincidental penalty, Short-handed). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IIHF Official Rulebook, revised each season.