An attempt to jump-start scoring: A deeper look at the PWHL's new 'no escape' rule

In the second period of their first preseason contest against the Boston Fleet, the Montreal Victoire took a penalty.

But instead of bringing on the team's first penalty killing unit, the players on the ice were stuck. The team wasn't allowed to change lines until after the first face-off, leaving Boston to match up its top power play unit with three Montreal forwards and a defender, none of whom are typically first-unit penalty killers.

The tired Montreal players got stuck on the ice for the full two-minute kill, a massive advantage for Boston on the power play.

Welcome to the PWHL's new "no escape" rule.

It's one of several changes the league has made to try to improve play in its second year. In this case, it's aimed at increasing scoring in a league where goals were hard to come by last season.

For players, it means every person needs to be prepared to kill penalties at any time. At one point on a penalty kill in the game against the Fleet, Montreal forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis, typically an offensive specialist, found herself playing defence.

"I would never want Grant-Mentis to play D," Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie said after the game, which Boston won 3-1. "She needs to score goals. She doesn't need to stop them."

The idea came from the league's rules and competition committee, chaired by league advisors and retired players, Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Meghan Duggan. 

When they dug into data from last season, Hefford said league-wide scoring on the power play stood out. Power play efficiency was around 16 per cent, lower than the NHL average of 21 per cent.

"Sixteen per cent feels low," Hefford said in an interview with CBC Sports. "It feels like we can do better than that."

Trying different things has been a hallmark of the new league. First, there was the "jailbreak" goal, where a shorthanded goal frees the player from the penalty box.

Then, the league let the team that finished atop the standings select its first-round playoff opponent among the third- and fourth-best teams.

The league may not keep every new rule, but they're not afraid to try things and make mistakes, Hefford said.

"We don't have to do it the way it's always been done, and we aren't just trying to be the NHL," Hefford said. "How can we make the game more engaging for fans is always a priority."