The PWHL brought in the "jailbreak" and a 3-2-1 point system, along with new body checking rules. Erin Brown and Ian Kennedy discuss.

Friday Face-off is a weekly feature where Erin Brown and Ian Kennedy discuss, and sometimes debate, topics in women's hockey. This week the pair looks at some of the unique rules in the PWHL from the “jailbreak” shorthanded goal to body checking, and more.

Ian Kennedy: One of the most popular additions to the PWHL rulebook early on has been the jailbreak goal where any shorthanded goal ends the power play and sends the penalized player back to the ice. So far it’s brought a lot of excitement from fans. On the ice, a big penalty kill used to be a momentum shifter, but when you kill the penalty by scoring, that shift has been even more noticeable. Do you like the rule? Dislike it? The league tested a variety of rules in the preseason and this was the main item that stuck.

Erin Brown : I’m a fan of the jailbreak goal. I’ve seen two of the three scored in the PWHL so far. In both cases it resulted in a momentum shift. It certainly opens up the game and highlights the speed and skill which makes women’s hockey exciting. I predict we’ll also see closer games because of it. As players are settling in, you can see they are starting to get a little more aggressive on the penalty kill, and that’s fun to watch — a lot more so than the conservative dump-and-wait which is standard elsewhere.

Speaking of aggression, another area the PWHL has adjusted is more physical play. SVP of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford said at PWHL Montreal’s home opener the league is still finding the line on what should — or not — be penalized. Montreal coach Kori Cheverie noted players are adjusting to this on-ice and in recovery between games as well. I think it’s okay for there to be an adjustment period. No one is trying to take advantage of it. Open-ice hits are outlawed, of course, and thankfully no one has been seriously injured as these limits are being determined. I didn’t see anything egregious in the first week, but I’m starting to notice a few more uncomfortable collisions. I wonder what the line will end up being. What’s your take?

Ian Kennedy: Right now it’s….inconsistent. There have certainly been open ice hits that have gone uncalled. There have certainly been hits away from the puck, hits that would be interference, and hits against stationary players. The key for me is, I want whatever rule the women want. Men have been making the rules for too long. I find the explanations in the rule book confusing, and I’m not sure referees know what an illegal check is versus a legal, and that’s the only issue. Sweden’s SDHL has the rule that you must be moving in parallel to a player, not going head to head. I think that’s what the PWHL’s rules are implying, which eliminates open ice hits unless you’re pushing shoulder to shoulder in a 50/50 battle. Watching the games, I love it. I really love everything I’m seeing. What I’d hate to see is the PWHL digress into an NHL-style era like the clutch and grab, dead puck era. Other than that, as many have said, the league is building the plane while flying, so as long as they’re working to make exemplar videos for officials to show what a legal hit is versus illegal, and we settle into some consistency, fantastic. The biggest item I’ll be interested in watching is how the PWHL’s style trickles over into IIHF competition.

I brought up one other point that almost came to be, was for one game, and then ceased to be again: the post-game handshake. I know it might seem like a simple thing, and people claim it only belongs in the playoffs, but I loved that it showed a new era of unity, or mutual respect, and it provided a human moment after the competitiveness of games where people still acted like people. I’m glad the league back tracked. The players have come so far to be connected, it would be a shame to intentionally divide them now.

Erin Brown: I’m glad the handshake is back, too. It’s a standard across women’s hockey — you see it in college, at the international level — why not the pros? Women’s sports has such an opportunity to be a force for good as it continues to grow, not just through the PWHL or hockey. I think sportsmanship (sportswomanship doesn’t really roll off the tongue easily) is part of that. So hiccup, miscommunication, whatever on what led to the non-handshake, who cares — it is back and I hope it’s cemented as PWHL tradition.

Ian Kennedy: The final difference in the league is the 3-2-1 point system. I like it. It puts a lot of emphasis on playing a full 60 minutes, and brings back a sense of what the NHL used to have when ties existed.

Erin Brown: I’m fine with the PWHL’s points system, but it is funny you mention ties. This will probably be an unpopular opinion: Can we please ditch the shootout in pro hockey? Thankfully we have yet to see one in the PWHL. If rules are being adjusted anyway, why not bump sudden-death overtime to 10 minutes with a short break in between 5-minute halves — if it even gets to a second one. If there’s no scoring, end it as a tie. Other than being exciting, 3-on-3 has shown to be decisive in outcomes in other leagues. The shootout was fun for a while, but now it’s boring. Sure, it creates an opportunity to see high-skill, highlight-reel moves, but so few actually are. Even competitions at events like all-star games have become a farce.

So far the PWHL has been thoughtful about making adjustments that are positive for the game — and fans. They’re acknowledging input from the players. The hockey has been fantastic so I think the league has earned the time to sort out these nuances without them being a major distraction.