Rickard Rakell paused to ponder for a few seconds when the query was broached.
A reporter asked why the Pittsburgh Penguins have given up so many short-handed goals this season.
“I don’t know,” was his opening retort.
Then, the skilled winger offered a sound axiom.
“But, obviously, 10 goals is a lot to give up.”
It is quite a few. And entering Friday, it was the second-highest total in the NHL. Only the Colorado Avalanche have yielded more with 12.
At the same time, the Penguins have the third-best conversion rate with the man advantage at 25.1%. With 14 games remaining this season, that is the fourth-best conversion rate in franchise history.
(The 2017-18 squad set the high-water mark at 26.2%.)
So, the power play is clearly a weapon for the Penguins, even with a fairly high probability of volatility.
“Obviously, you try to be in a little more of the offensive side than you should, hoping that a puck is going to stay in (the offensive zone),” Rakell said. “Or you try to make a really tight play along the blue line that goes the other way. But also, sometimes, trying to be aggressive, staying on top of rebounds, can (backfire) on you.”
One such occurrence came during Wednesday’s 6-5 overtime road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The opening goal was scored by Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook on a breakaway.
The opportunity was created when Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal banked a puck out of the defensive zone off the left wing boards past Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, springing Martinook.
Holy moly!
Jordan Martinook scored his second short-handed goal of the season just seconds after the Pittsburgh Penguins began their power play
Carolina Hurricanes now lead 1-0#CarolinaCulture#LetsGoPens#NHLpic.twitter.com/y3HZnejN6J— Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) March 18, 2026
“Last game where it looks like a 50/50 (play) against Carolina and then (Staal) just chips it and (Martinook) was cheating on it right away,” said Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner, who surrendered the goal. “It kind of goes both ways. If (Martinook) cheats that and we get the puck and (Karlsson) swats that out of the air, we have a quick five-on-three at the net, and that’s a really good chance. And if it goes in (Martinook’s) favor, he gets a breakaway.
“Sometimes, the game works like that. You’ve got to take your chances every once in a while. Sometimes, it doesn’t go the way you want.”
While Martinook’s goal didn’t impact the overall flow of the game — the Penguins managed to score five of the next 10 goals in that contest — it maintained a prevailing theme for the Penguins in that they typically lose when they give up a short-handed score.
They are 2-5-3 when they allow such a goal this season. Conversely, they are 4-1-0 in when they score a short-handed goal themselves.
There is a different sensation created by short-handed goals, depending on who yields them, compared to even-strength or power-play goals.
“They are more of a momentum swing than most other goals because they’re not supposed to happen,” forward Bryan Rust said. “It’s usually a fairly high-effort play to score a short-handed goal. When those happen, they can be a little bit deflating for the team that happens to, but it can also be extremely motivating for the team that scores.”
Like a lot of teams, the Penguins employ four forwards and one defenseman on the power play. They largely have stuck with that ratio since the 2010-11 season thorugh various personnel, coaches and management.
A handful of NHL teams even use five forwards on their top power-play unit.
Does having one (or two) fewer defensemen on the ice offer any kind of inherent risk in being exposed to short-handed opportunities?
It depends on who you ask.
“Always,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby stated succinctly. “A lot of teams have that set-up. It’s whoever has that defensive awareness. It’s something that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
“We understand and we have to find ways to make sure we’re above the puck. I’m pretty sure every team uses four forwards and one (defensemen), if not five forwards. It’s just a matter of being responsible out there.”
The lone blue liner on the Penguins’ top unit offered a different perspective when asked if there is an elevated danger with a four-forward/one-defenseman deployment.
“No. I don’t think so,” Karlsson said. “Most teams have that configuration. Some teams even have five forwards. Sometimes, it’s a risk/reward. Sometimes, it’s bad decisions. There’s a lot of things that factor into giving up goals on your power play.
“But usually, when you do, it’s a clear-cut breakaway, then it turns into a 50/50 chance. It’s not something that ever really, I don’t think, crossed any of our minds that we’re going out there worrying about giving up a goal.”
Do penalty killers ever feel a greater sense of opportunity working against a solitary defenseman?
“No, I don’t think so,” Rust said. “Some teams set up differently, and they have guys lower in the (offensive) zone. It doesn’t really matter.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, being prone to short-handed goals against doesn’t necessarily correlate to power-play futility.
The vaunted 1992-93 Penguins — blessed with four 100-point scorers in Mario Lemieux, Kevin Steven, Rick Tocchet and Ron Francis — allowed 19 short-handed goals over 84 games while converting 23.9% of their power-play chances.
(The 1984-85 team set the franchise record for short-handed goals when it surrendered 22 during Lemieux’s rookie season. That squad converted 17.1% of its power-play opportunities.)
So, while the current Penguins certainly are interested in allowing fewer short-handed goals, they don’t necessarily view it as an insurmountable impediment toward their overall success, particularly given how potent they have been on the power play.
“Scoring a (short-handed) goal definitely brings a lot of momentum to your team,” Rakell said. “Then, also giving up one can ruin your power play for a while. But I still think we answered well after we gave up one last game.
“We don’t like giving up ‘shorties,’ but we’re not worried about it.”