power play
1. In ice hockey, a temporary period during gameplay in which one team has more players in play due to the other team having one or more players temporarily removed due to a penalty. Pittsburgh will have a chance to score here during the power play.
2. An action, behavior, or strategy intended to assert, enhance, or exaggerate one's power, authority, or influence. It's just a power play—he's moving the shifts around purely to show that he's the one who can. The prime minister is using the threat of initiating a trade war as an obvious power play ahead of the general election.