How many overtime periods do teams play during the NHL Playoffs?
Playoff hockey. Gotta love it. The stakes are high, and outcomes can be determined in an instant. That is even more true when games hit the extended play period, which is sudden death.
Here’s everything you need to know about the overtime format in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
No, though the regular season features a shootout period if the game stays tied long enough, the league does not employ the shootouts during the postseason.
How many overtime periods are there in NHL Playoffs?
Think of a number. Double it. Now add 52. Now double it again. That’s how many overtime periods there are.
In seriousness, there is no limit to the number of overtime periods played in the NHL Playoffs. Instead of deferring to a shootout style like in the regular season, the game is determined in action when it comes to the playoffs. That’s the way it should be!
If the game is tied at regulation, they take an intermission and come back for overtime. If it’s still tied, they go at it again.
In 1936, a game went to a sixth overtime between the Red Wings and Montreal Maroons. Before that, there was another one of six overtimes in 1933 between the Maple Leafs and Bruins.
More recently, there was a five-overtime game between the Phillies and the Penguins. That was later tied by a 2020 game between the Lightning and the Blue Jackets.
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