What is the reason for 'empty net' in hockey?

You are allowed six players on the ice. Most teams devote these six players to three forwards, two defenseman and one goalie. read more

The reason for an empty net is to give the team who is losing the opportunity to increase an offensive player from the sideline in exchange for pulling the goalie from the net hence the “empty net”. This results in 6 offensive players vs the normal 5 and 1 goalie. read more

The act where the coach pulls the goalie for an empty net is when they are usually losing or the other team has a penalty. When the game is 1-2 and they are losing late in the third period the coach will try to pull the goalie so they could get 6 skaters on the ice. read more

An empty net goal, or colloquially an empty netter (abbreviated as EN or ENG), occurs in ice hockey when a team scores a goal into a net with no goaltender (goalie) present. The Dallas Stars currently hold the NHL record for most empty net goals in a season. read more

The hope is that the six players crowd the ice enough, and keep the winning team enough scrambling on the defensive, that they don’t have time to shoot for the empty net. And, along the way that they’ll tie the game and go to overtime. read more

Best Answer: They are not forced to play with an empty net. The coach will pull the goalie purposely if his team is behind late in the game to try and tie it up by having an extra skater playing. read more