Last updated: Aug 21, 2023
NHL overtime time rules in the regular season are different from those in the postseason. The main differences between regular-season and playoff overtime periods in the NHL are the time length, number of players, and the presence of a shootout.Keep reading to learn all of the differences between NHL overtime periods in the regular season and the playoffs.
Table of Contents
- NHL Overtime Rules Differences
- Time Length
- Five-on-Five
- No Shootout
- NHL Playoff Overtime Rules
- FAQ
NHL Overtime Rules Differences
In both the regular season and postseason, if an NHL game remains tied after regulation, the game goes to sudden-death overtime. This is the only similarity that exists.
Regular-season sudden-death overtime is a five-minute period played with only three players and a goalkeeper.This three-on-three hockey makes goals more likely to occur in this short period of time.If a goal isn’t scored within a single five-minute period, a shootout is used to determine the winner.
In the playoffs, the teams play a full period of five-on-five ice hockey in overtime. Overtime periods are still sudden death, but additional periods will be played until one team scores and wins the game. There are specific reasons for each of these differences once the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
Time Length
Overtime periods in the NHL Playoffs, known as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, are much longer than in the regular season. Regular-season overtime lasts five minutes. However, teams play 20-minute periods consecutively until someone scores in the playoffs.These longer periods have produced some very long NHL Playoff games.
Back in 2020, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets played a game that went five overtimes until the Lightning scored the game-winning goal. These periods are made longer to end the game in a similar style of play to regulation hockey.
Short overtimes and shootouts are designed to finish games quickly in the regular season and prevent injuries. But in the playoffs, the design is to end the game with a goal so one team can advance.
Five-on-Five
Unlike overtime in the NHL regular season, overtime in the NHL Playoffs is played with full five-on-five rules. In a lot of ways, the reason for this is similar to the reasons for playing full 20-minute periods. The goal is to end all playoff games with a goal in play that resembles regulation hockey.
Theoretically, playing out a game of hockey in full five-on-five fashion should more often than not cause the better team to win. More players on the ice means more players can affect the game. It also makes it more difficult to score the game-winning goal. This is why we sometimes see NHL playoff games take multiple periods to be decided by a game-winning goal.
No Shootout
Anotherkey difference between the regular season NHL overtime and NHL Playoff overtime is the lack of a penalty shootout.Shootouts consist of each team sending three skaters out to take a penalty shot against the opposing team’s goalkeeper. Whichever team scores more penalty shots wins the match.
The intention of NHL playoff games is to end the game with play as similar to regulation as possible. Due to this, the shootout has never been a part of the NHL Playoffs. Sudden-death-style overtime does lead to some longer games. However, it also ensures that the winning team can say they have bested their opponents in five-on-five ice hockey.
NHL Playoff Overtime Rules
These are the rules for overtime in the NHL Playoffs:
- Games tied at the end of regulation go into overtime.
- Overtime is played five-on-five.
- Overtime periods are 20 minutes long and sudden-death.
- Additional overtime periods are played indefinitely until a point is scored.
- As overtime periods are played indefinitely, there are no shootouts.
FAQ
What are the rules for overtime in the NHL playoffs?
Instead of a five-minute overtime featuring teams playing 3-on-3, overtime in the NHL playoffs is formatted similarly to regulation periods.Teams will play 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 hockey until a goal is scored. Additional overtime periods will be continued until there is a winner, and no shootout will take place.
Is hockey playoff overtime different from regular-season overtime?
Yes, NHL overtime is played differently in the regular season and postseason.During the regular season, there is a single overtime period that lasts five minutes. If no goals are scored, the winner is decided by a shootout. During the playoffs, there can be multiple overtime periods that each last 20 minutes. Additional overtime periods are played until a goal is scored to decide the winner in NHL postseason games.
Is there a shootout in the postseason hockey playoffs?
No, there are no shootouts in the NHL playoffs.Instead, periods of overtime are used to determine the winning team.
