How Does Overtime Work in Hockey?
The 30-second answer
If an NHL game is tied after three periods, it goes to a 5-minute sudden-death overtime played 3-on-3 where the first goal wins. If nobody scores, it goes to a shootout: three shooters per side, then sudden death. The playoffs are different: full 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 sudden death until someone scores, no shootouts, for as long as it takes.
The slightly longer version
The 3-on-3 format arrived in 2015 to cut down on shootouts, and it worked. All that open ice turns overtime into end-to-end chaos, with breakaways in both directions. One thing that confuses new fans: the team that loses in overtime or the shootout still gets a point in the standings (the “loser point”), which is why you’ll see a team’s record written with four numbers, like 30-20-8-4. In the playoffs, there’s no shootout and no loser point, and teams play full 20-minute sudden-death periods with a full intermission and fresh ice between each one. Playoff overtimes can go deep: the longest game in NHL history needed six overtimes. When someone says “free hockey,” this is what they mean.
What to watch for:
- The 3-on-3 sprint. Two minutes of wide-open ice, then exhausted players and wild chances. It’s the most entertaining five minutes in sports.
- The shootout order. Coaches pick their three shooters usually their most creative stickhandlers. Then it’s goalie versus skater, one on one.
- The point. When your team loses in OT, check the standings as they still banked a point. Fans call it the loser point, half affectionately.
- Playoff intermissions. In the postseason, overtime gets a full break and a resurfaced rink between periods. Settle in it might be a long night.
Say this out loud
- “Free hockey!”
- “Three-on-three is pure chaos.”
- “At least we got the point.”
