Two Penalty Shots in a Playoff Game

Two penalty shots in one playoff game. In the first game of the Qualifying Round between Montreal and Pittsburgh, there were indeed two penalty shots awarded, both Brandon Rust and Jonathan Drouin missing miserably. It doesn't seem like this should be such a rare occurrence, but apparently it happens about once every one hundred years. The last time two penalty shots were awarded in an NHL playoff game (these Qualifying Round games are being considered as playoff stats by the NHL) was in 1923.
On March 29, 1923 in game one of the Stanley Cup final between the original NHL Ottawa Senators and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League there were actually THREE penalty shots awarded in the game. The Cup final took place at Vancouver's Denman Street Arena, and this first game was witnessed by 7,000 spectators. Bill Steadman of the Vancouver Sun described the affair thusly,"The Ottawa Senators carried the issue into overtime and then drew first blood at the Arena last night in the final series for world's championship hockey honours. Their victory was a triumph of grey matter and sheer courage against opponents who had a distinct advantage in speed, youth and reserves. Luck played it's part too. Throughout the first period Edmonton attacked almost without let-up, and Ottawa's famous defensive ability was taxed to the utmost. The Eskimos swarmed on the attack like flies around a molasses barrel." Steadman continued,"The dash of the Eskimos seemed to win the crowd completely, and when they transgressed the code nobody seemed to notice it. When Referee Ion awarded two penalty shots against Edmonton for obvious trips, his decisions were howled against." 

The two Senator penalty shots were taken by Cy Denneny in the 1st period, hitting the post and Punch Broadbent in the 2nd, "banging the puck against  Eskimo goalie, Hal Winkler pads." In the 3rd period, Ottawa garnered a penalty shot of their own, "A penalty shot given against Boucher was taken by Keats, but the man who won the Western Canada league title on a penalty shot gave Benedict an easy one."
Denneny would score a mere two minutes into overtime with an "angle fire" shot that beat Winkler. Ottawa won the Stanley Cup two nights later with a 1-0 victory to take the two-game series. The only goal was scored by Punch Broadbent.
Game 1 Stanley Cup Final boxscore, March 29, 1923 



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