Overtime in the NHL is a bit different than some of the other major sports, and it also differs in the regular season and the playoffs.
Overtime was initially introduced in the NHL back in 1921. It was initially a 20-minute sudden death period. It was later reduced to a 10-minute period in 1927 and further reduced to a five-minute period in 1983.
Up until 2005, games that went to overtime were eligible to end in a draw. After 2005, the league introduced the shootout to determine a winner and a loser, preventing draws from occurring. Overtime in the NHL was originally a five-on-five period, but since 2015, the NHL has adopted a 3-on-3 format for the overtime period in the regular season.
We're going to dive into how overtime works in the NHL and the differences between the extra period during the regular season and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL Regular Season Overtime Rules
During the regular season, if the game is still tied after the opening three 20-minute periods, teams will go to overtime where they'll play an additional five-minute period. Rather than the usual 5-on-5 format, NHL overtime is played 3-on-3. The overtime period ends when the first team scores or the five minutes expires.
If the game is still tied after five minutes, teams go to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. Each team gets three initial penalty takers to determine the outcome, though if no winner is decided after then, more players will step up to take penalties until a victor is determined.
When a regular-season NHL game goes to overtime, both teams are awarded a single point. The winning team will add another point to their tally. As such, an overtime loss is worth more points than a loss in regulation.
If a player commits a penalty during the five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period, the opposing team will be granted an additional skater for the duration of that penalty. As such, a team that commits a violation in overtime will be playing 4-on-3 for at least two minutes.
NHL Playoff Overtime Rules
NHL playoff overtime rules are relatively simple. There are no shootouts in playoff hockey, and as such, teams will play a 20-minute, sudden-death overtime period until a winner is determined. If there is no winner after the initial 20 minutes, they'll go to a second overtime period. More overtime periods will be added until either team scores a winning goal.
Overtime in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is played as 5-on-5. Penalties in overtime during the postseason would be treated as they would be during regulation, resulting a power-play to the team that drew the penalty.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Overtime Rules Explained: Playoffs and Regular Season.
