An open net occurs when a team wants to pull its goalie and replace him with another skater to create more scoring opportunities. Hockey teams play with five skaters and one goalie. If the goalie is pulled for another skater, no one is guarding that team's goal, and the goal is said to be an open net.
Strategy
If a team is losing in the final minutes of regulation, it may elect to pull its goalkeeper in hopes that the extra skater will help create a scoring opportunity that will tie the game. It's a risky strategy, because a steal by the opposing team can lead to an easy goal on an open net. While there is no set time when a goalie can be pulled, the usual rule of thumb is that if a team is down by two goals, it will pull its goalie with about two minutes left. If the team is down by one goal, it will pull its goalie with one minute left, but these are only guidelines. The decision is always up to the coach.
Risks and Precautions
To minimize the risks of an open-net goal, teams have established plays they try to run with six skaters or attackers on the ice. The goalie will leave the ice only after his team has established control of the puck and is at the other end of the ice. Players know the positions they are to maintain and how to respond if their opponents regain control of the puck and are looking to pad their lead with an open-net goal.
Other Opportunities
A team may opt to pull its goalie at other times during a game, such as when the action is going on near the opponent's goal and a delayed penalty is called. Referees may call a penalty such as high-sticking, but they will not stop play if the puck is in play and one team is attacking and possibly close to scoring. This is called a delayed penalty and both teams know that once the puck is cleared and the action subsides, play will be whistled to a stop by the referee. But in the middle of the action during a delayed penalty call, a goalie may rush off the ice to allow another attacker to join the action. This is a brief strategy and not often done, since play stops soon after, but it happens once in a while, especially if the team that pulls its goalie is losing.
Special Rules
If a team pulls its goalie to have an extra attacker and the other team takes a shot on goal, the team without a goalie cannot dislodge the goal posts in hopes of stopping play and preventing the shot from counting if it goes in. If the referee determines that the interference with the goal posts was intentional, he can award the goal if the puck enters the goal during the infraction.
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