How does overtime work in the NHL?
I · Intermediate · How the NHL differs · 13 of 13In the NHL regular season, a game tied after 60 minutes gives each team a point. Five minutes of three-on-three sudden death follow, and the winner gets a second point. If still tied, a shootout of three shooters a side decides it. In the playoffs there is no shootout: teams play full 20-minute, five-on-five periods until someone scores.
How it works
- Tie after regulation: both teams get one point in the standings.
- Regular-season overtime: up to five minutes, three skaters and a goalkeeper each, first goal wins.
- Extra point: the overtime or shootout winner gets a second point.
- Pulling the goalkeeper: allowed, but a team that loses with its goalkeeper pulled gives up its point, unless it was for a delayed penalty.
- Shootout: three shooters each, then sudden death; the home team chooses to shoot first or second.
- No repeat shooters: no player shoots twice until every eligible player has shot.
- The score: the shootout winner is given one goal more than the score after overtime.
- Playoffs: 15-minute intermission, then 20-minute five-on-five periods, sudden death, changing ends each period.
The glossary has the overtime, the shootout, the overtime penalties, the empty net, the penalty shot and the goalkeeper.
Tricky cases
Can the same player take every shot in an NHL shootout tie-break?
No. Everyone eligible must shoot before anyone shoots twice. Under IIHF rules the same player may shoot each time.
Does a shootout goal count in a player's statistics?
No. The winning team gets one goal on the score, but no player is credited with it.
How long can a playoff overtime last?
There is no limit; periods continue until a goal is scored.
Who chooses the shootout order?
The coach picks the shooters; the home team chooses whether to shoot first.
Why the rule exists
The standings point for reaching overtime rewards a tied game, and the shootout ends regular-season games quickly. Playoff games are too important to settle with shootouts, so they are played out.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NHL regular season | 5 minutes 3-on-3, then 3-round shootout | NHL 84.1, 84.4 |
| NHL playoffs | 20-minute 5-on-5 periods until a goal | NHL 84.5 |
| IIHF | 3-on-3 overtime, then a five-shooter shootout | IIHF 84.1, 84.4 |
From the rule book
National Hockey League, Official Rules 2026-2027, Rule 84. Compared with International Ice Hockey Federation, Official Rulebook 2026/27 (version 1.0, June 2026). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IIHF Official Rulebook, revised each season.