It doesn’t take much for NHL playoff games to get chippy.
While fighting is accepted as part of hockey, some actions don’t fly with officials. Mistakes can lead to penalties and power-plays, and power-plays often lead to game-changing — or even season-changing — goals.
With emotions running high and intensity at a peak, players have to be ultra careful not to go too far and hurt their team with penalties with the season on the line.
Here’s a closer look at which NHL playoff games and Stanley Cup Final games have featured the most penalty minutes.
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Most penalty minutes in an NHL playoff game
The Red Wings and Blues set the record for most penalty minutes in an NHL playoff game with a whopping 298 in the 1991 division semifinals. The game featured 66 total penalties, and the minutes were split nearly evenly with Detroit totaling 152 and St. Louis totaling 146.
Here are the five NHL playoff games with the most combined penalty minutes:
| Year | Teams | PIM |
| 1991 | Red Wings vs. Blues | 298 |
| 1981 | Rangers vs. Kings | 267 |
| 1980 | Islanders vs. Bruins | 254 |
| 1984 | Nordiques vs. Canadiens | 252 |
| 1982 | Nordiques vs. Canadiens | 249 |
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Most penalty minutes by one team
The Red Wings’ 152 penalty minutes from their 1991 loss to the Blues also serve as the record for most by a single team in a playoff game. It would be tough to blame penalties alone for the 6-1 defeat, as the Blues recorded 146 penalty minutes themselves but still coasted to the intense victory.
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Most penalty minutes by one player
Three players are tied for the NHL playoff record with 42 penalty minutes in a playoff game: Billy Coutu (Canadiens, 1923), Dave Schultz (Flyers, 1976) and Deryk Engelland (Flames, 2015).
A portion of Engelland’s penalty minutes resulted from his role in a line brawl in Game 2 of a first round game against the Canucks, though he avoided suspension when his instigator penalty was rescinded. Then-Flames coach Bob Hartley, meanwhile, was fined for his role.
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Most penalty minutes in a Stanley Cup Final game
The Flames and Canadiens combined for a record 176 penalty minutes in Game 4 of the 1986 Stanley Cup Final. Here’s a look at the four Stanley Cup Final games with the most combined penalty minutes:
| Year | Game | Teams | PIM |
| 1986 | Game 4 | Canadiens vs. Flames | 176 |
| 2023 | Game 2 | Panthers vs. Golden Knights | 148 |
| 2011 | Game 3 | Bruins vs. Canucks | 145 |
| 2025 | Game 3 | Panthers vs. Oilers | 140 |
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Most penalty minutes by one team
The Canadiens set the record for most penalty minutes by one team in a Stanley Cup Final game with 90 in the same 1986 game that owns the combined record. In 2025, the Oilers came only five minutes away from the record with 85 penalty minutes in a blowout loss to the Panthers.
Montreal actually won Game 4 against the Flames with 90 penalty minutes, but the bulk of those minutes came toward the very end of the contest.
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Most penalty minutes by one player
Oilers C Kevin McClelland set the record for most penalty minutes in a Stanley Cup Final game with 29 in Game 5 of the 1985 Stanley Cup Final against the Flyers. McClelland could afford to spend some time in the box, as the Oilers won 8-3 to seal a championship despite the forward’s hefty dose of penalty minutes.
In the Oilers’ 85-PIM Stanley Cup Final game against the Panthers in 2025, Darnell Nurse came within 10 minutes of McClelland’s record. Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk came within seven minutes of the record during a 2023 Stanley Cup Final game against the Golden Knights.
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