A power play gives one hockey team a temporary numerical advantage because of the applicable penalty situation. The other side is trying to kill that penalty: prevent a goal until the disadvantage ends or changes. The two labels describe the same passage from opposite perspectives. To follow it, watch the available passing lanes and player positions rather than expecting the advantaged team to shoot immediately.
Count the skaters before reading the formation
A familiar five-on-four situation is only one possibility. Multiple penalties, overtime structures or an extra attacker can produce different numbers. Start with the scoreboard label, then confirm the players actually on the ice. A goalkeeper is not counted as an ordinary skater in those shorthand descriptions. If the picture is tight around the puck, a wider camera view may reveal the extra player waiting away from the immediate action. The numerical advantage is an opportunity to create space, not an automatic scoring award.
Watch how the puck moves the defenders
The attacking team often tries to make the defending group shift from one side to the other, opening a pass or shot before it can recover. A patient sequence can therefore be purposeful even without an immediate attempt. Watch the defender farthest from the puck and the player near the net. A pass across the formation may change the goalkeeper's sightline or movement requirement. The useful question is whether the puck movement creates a better chance, not simply whether the crowd wants another shot.
Read the penalty kill as an active task
The shorthanded side is trying to protect dangerous areas, interrupt passes and clear pressure when the rules allow. A clearance can give the defenders time to change personnel or reorganize. That can be a successful moment even though no goal appears on the scoreboard. Notice whether the attacking team has to spend time re-entering the zone. Every forced restart consumes part of the advantage window. A blocked shot and a controlled clear tell a different story from a desperate rebound left in front of goal.
Follow the ending rather than assuming it
The power-play state can end or change through the applicable penalty and scoring rules, and multiple penalties can complicate the sequence. Watch the returning player, the scoreboard and the officials together. The attack may still have a chance during the transition even after the original timer expires. For a useful note, record the numerical situation, one chance created and how the pressure ended. This gives more insight than judging the whole passage by whether a goal happened, while leaving exact penalty administration to the current official rules.
Useful answers
Are power play and penalty kill two different events?
They are usually opposite descriptions of the same penalty situation: one team attacks with the advantage while the other defends it.
Does the advantaged team have to shoot straight away?
No. It may move the puck to create a better chance. The practical limit is the available advantage time and the live game situation, not a requirement to shoot on the first touch.