What happens if an ice hockey game is tied?
B · Beginner · The game · 5 of 10In IIHF preliminary-round games, a tie after 60 minutes leads to five minutes of three-on-three sudden death, and then a shootout. Playoff games use ten minutes of overtime. A gold medal game plays sudden-death overtime periods until someone scores. In a shootout, five players a side shoot in turn, then single shots until one team leads.
How it works
- Preliminary round: 5 minutes, sudden death, three skaters and a goalkeeper each, after a 3-minute break.
- Playoffs and bronze medal games: 10 minutes of three-on-three sudden death.
- Gold medal game: sudden-death periods, three-on-three, with 15-minute intermissions, until a goal.
- Penalties in overtime: the short team stays at three, and the other team adds skaters, up to five.
- Pulling the goalkeeper: allowed in overtime.
- Shootout: after a scoreless overtime; captains toss a coin, the winner chooses to shoot first or second.
- Five shooters each: alternate shots; the shootout ends once one side cannot be caught.
- Still tied: single shots, starting with the team that shot second; the same player may shoot every time.
- Not eligible: players whose penalties had not ended when overtime finished.
- The result: only the deciding goal counts in the score.
The glossary has the overtime, the shootout, the overtime penalties, the penalty shot, the empty net and the goalkeeper.
Tricky cases
A team is on a power play when regulation ends. How does overtime start?
With the advantage kept: a 5-on-3 starts overtime 5-on-3 and drops to 4-on-3 at a stoppage once it reaches 5-on-4. A 4-on-4 finish starts overtime 3-on-3.
Can a team refuse to take part in a shootout?
It may, but the game is then recorded as a loss and the other team gets three points.
Must the five shooters be named in advance?
No. Any eligible skater may shoot.
Does the shootout winner get extra goals in the score?
No. Only the deciding goal is added to the result.
Why the rule exists
Three-on-three opens up the ice and makes a quick goal likely. The shootout guarantees a result in a tournament where every game must end.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | 5 minutes, then a shootout | IIHF 84.1, 84.4 |
| Playoffs | 10 minutes | IIHF 84.5 |
| Gold medal game | Play until a goal | IIHF 84.6 |
| Points | 3, or 2 and 1 after overtime | IIHF 78.1 |
From the rule book
International Ice Hockey Federation, Official Rulebook 2026/27 (version 1.0, June 2026), Rules 24 and 84. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IIHF Official Rulebook, revised each season.