In an NHL regular season game, if the game is tied after normal regulation time, there will be a five-minute three-on-three period of overtime where whoever scores first wins. Should that fail, the game will go into a shootout to decide the winner. The winning team gets two points, and the loser gets one point. For the playoffs, virtually nothing applies here. In playoffs, each period of overtime is 20 minutes long and five-on-five; the game continues in such overtime periods until there is a winner. There is no shootout and hence no points to the losing side, and no restriction on time played – the longest game was played for 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime! These are two very different sports under the same name, and most people do not know about them distinctly. Here is both of them correctly described.
The Short Version:
Everything at a glance, current for 2026-27.
| How it works | |
|---|---|
| Regular season overtime | Five minutes, three-on-three, sudden death |
| If nobody scores | A shootout decides it |
| Playoff overtime | Full 20-minute periods, five-on-five, sudden death, repeated until someone scores |
| Playoff shootouts | None. They do not exist in the postseason |
| Points in the regular season | Two to the winner, one to the team that loses in overtime or a shootout |
| Points in the playoffs | None. Only the win matters |
| Penalties in three-on-three | The team that draws it gets a fourth skater, making it four-on-three |
| Do teams switch ends? | Yes, and that is deliberate. It creates the long change |
| Current format since | 2015-16 for three-on-three. The playoff format is essentially unchanged for a century |
| Any changes for 2026-27 | None. The overtime rules are the same |
Regular Season vs Playoffs, Side by Side:
This is the comparison worth keeping. Every meaningful difference between the two formats, in one place.
Same league, same season, completely different overtime.
| Rule | Regular season | Stanley Cup Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Length | One five-minute period | Unlimited 20-minute periods |
| Skaters | Three on three | Five on five |
| Sudden death | Yes | Yes |
| If still tied | Shootout | Another 20-minute period, and another, until someone scores |
| Break before overtime | A short pause of around two minutes with a quick ice scrape | A full 15-minute intermission with complete ice resurfacing |
| Break between overtimes | Not applicable | 15 minutes, with the ice resurfaced each time |
| A minor penalty | The other team adds a skater, so four on three | A normal power play, two minutes at five on four |
| A double minor | Four on three for four minutes | Four minutes at five on four |
| Minimum skaters | Never fewer than three per side | Never fewer than three per side |
| Points for losing | One | None |
| Goalie pulled for an extra attacker | Almost never, the risk is too high | Occasionally, in desperate situations |
| Longest it can last | Five minutes, then a shootout | There is no limit. The record is 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime |
How Regular Season Overtime Works:
Should a game be tied after 60 minutes, teams will have a brief break of about two minutes. In this case, the ice gets a quick scraping but no full resurface and, right after that, five minutes of three-on-three starts. Three skaters from each team including goalies, playing on a rink at its full size, generates tons of open ice. It’s the messiest hockey played in this league and this is precisely the purpose of this format. First goal wins the game.
What Happens on a Penalty:
This is where people normally get lost, and it really needs to be explained. A squad never loses less than three players. Thus, when an infraction occurs in three on three in overtime, the penalized team remains three, while the other team gets a fourth player. This gives four on three instead of three on two.
In case of the second infraction, this will result in five-on-three. This concept works across the board: the team playing shorthanded will remain three players, while the other one will keep adding players. Four-on-three power play in overtime is almost a certain goal.
The Long Change:
And here’s the little thing that helps explain why there are so many goals in overtime but is rarely mentioned in the explanation. The teams swap sides for overtime. So each bench becomes far away from the defending zone of its team, just like in the second period, which is called the long change. The fatigued defender who wins the puck in his own zone then has all the ice to skate through to get off the ice.
Add that to three-on-three and you have everything the league needed to create: fatigued players without a chance to change lines, huge ice gaps, and odd man rushes in both directions.
The Shootout:
In case the first five minutes of three-on-three fails to produce a decision, a shootout ensues without any stoppage. Three shooters from each side take turns against the opponent’s goalkeeper, one by one. Should it come to three shootout attempts each from both sides with still equal scores, the process goes into extra rounds of sudden death. No one can have a second shot unless all eligible skaters of his team have already done so, and in case of a protracted shootout, it may come to the turn of defensemen and even goalkeepers’ teammates, who normally do not shoot.
The winning team gains an additional point. There is one funny fact about the shootout: the deciding shootout goal counts in the game’s total but is not counted for season statistics of the shooter.
How Playoff Overtime Works:
Forget everything previously stated. The postseason resumes with regular hockey. In case of a tie in a playoff match after regulation, a full 15-minute break with proper resurfacing of the ice takes place, after which both teams play one 20-minute overtime period five on five. The game ends with the next goal, just like during regulation.
Should the goal not come in, the teams take another 15-minute break, have the ice resurfaced and play another overtime period. This continues infinitely until someone scores. Teams exchange their goals for each overtime, therefore the “long change” strategy is available in the first overtime and vice versa after. Penalties go back to being regular – two minutes for minor, four for double-minor, five for major penalty. There is no such thing as adding skaters and three on three. Each goal is subject to review by the Situation Room of the NHL before the game can be declared over, hence the sometimes stopped celebrations.
The Longest Games in NHL History:
Because playoff overtime has no ceiling, some games have become endurance events.
The five longest games in NHL history, measured by minutes of overtime played.
| # | Game | Date | How long it went |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0 | 24 March 1936 | Six overtime periods, 116 minutes and 30 seconds of extra hockey. Mud Bruneteau finally scored |
| 2 | Toronto 1, Boston 0 | 3 April 1933 | Six overtime periods, 104 minutes and 46 seconds. Ken Doraty scored the winner |
| 3 | Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1 | May 2000 | Five overtime periods, 92 minutes and 1 second. Keith Primeau ended it |
| 4 | Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2 | 11 August 2020 | Five overtime periods, 90 minutes and 27 seconds. Brayden Point scored |
| 5 | Anaheim 4, Dallas 3 | 24 April 2003 | Five overtime periods, 80 minutes and 48 seconds. Petr Sykora scored |
For comparison, the 1936 game featuring the Detroit Red Wings against the Montreal Maroons had 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime play along with the 60 minutes of regular play time, totaling up to 176 minutes of hockey played in one night and decided by only one goal from Mud Bruneteau.
The game involving the longest overtime in the history of the Stanley Cup finals took place in 1990. Petr Klima netted the winning goal at 15:13 of the third overtime helping Edmonton defeat Boston 3-2. There have been eight such Final games in the history of the league. Moreover, this isn’t very old news as well. As many as 19 games have gone into overtime play till mid-May 2026 playoffs.
How the Rules Got Here:
The current arrangement is the result of four decades of the league trying to stop games ending without a winner.
Every change to NHL overtime since the Second World War.
| Era | What the rules were |
|---|---|
| 1942 to 1983 | No overtime at all. A game tied after 60 minutes was recorded as a tie |
| 1983-84 | Overtime reinstated. Five minutes, five on five, and games could still end in a tie |
| 1999-2000 | Overtime moves to four on four, and the team losing in overtime is awarded a point for the first time |
| 2005-06 | The shootout arrives after the lockout. Ties are abolished and every game now has a winner |
| 2015-16 | Overtime changes to three on three, the format still used today, specifically to reduce the number of shootouts |
| 2026-27 | No change. Three on three, five minutes, then a shootout |
Three-on-three hockey introduced in the 2015-16 season was designed to combat the shootout. As many as 170 games had reached the shootout stage in the 2014-15 season and the National Hockey League had been uneasy about having a skills contest determining positions in the standings. Three-on-three had already been tried in the American Hockey League with impressive results – the percentage of ties that went into overtime and not a shootout increased from about a third to three quarters.
There were some reservations, however. Goaltenders were particularly unhappy with three-on-three, one calling it a circus when stopping a two-on-one only meant that there was now a three-on-one the other way round.
Why the Playoffs Do Not Use a Shootout:
The logic is clear and the league has never really wavered on this stance. The shootout is a test of skill. It is fun, efficient for resolving a regular season game and resolves a single point over an 84 game season. Using the shootout to eliminate a team from the playoffs after months of play and possibly six games in a series would be an altogether different matter.
So hockey keeps getting played during the playoffs. They create some of the most memorable moments in the game, and on occasion a game that runs until one o’clock in the morning with both teams barely standing on their feet.
Final Take:
Regular season: Five minutes, three on three, and then the shootout. In the playoffs, 20-minute periods, five on five, keep going until a goal is scored, but the losing team does not get anything. While there may be some other details to remember, I would suggest the penalty rule. No team can drop below three skaters. Thus, in the regular season, a penalty during the overtime means a four-on-three game, not three-on-two. One point leads to more misunderstandings than the whole format itself.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How does NHL overtime work?
In the regular season it is one five-minute sudden-death period played three-on-three, followed by a shootout if nobody scores. In the playoffs it is unlimited 20-minute sudden-death periods at five-on-five, with no shootout.
How long is NHL overtime?
Five minutes in the regular season. In the playoffs each overtime period is 20 minutes and they repeat until someone scores, so there is no maximum.
Is there a shootout in the NHL playoffs?
No. Shootouts are used only in the regular season. Playoff games continue with full overtime periods until a goal decides it.
What happens on a penalty in three-on-three overtime?
The penalised team stays at three skaters and the other team adds one, making it four-on-three. A team never plays with fewer than three skaters.
Do NHL teams switch ends for overtime?
Yes. That creates the long change, with each bench far from its own defensive zone, which is one reason overtime produces so many goals.
How does the NHL shootout work?
Three shooters per side alternate. If still tied, it goes to sudden-death rounds, and no player may shoot twice until every eligible skater has taken a turn.
What is the longest NHL game ever?
Detroit’s 1-0 win over the Montreal Maroons on 24 March 1936, which needed six overtime periods and 116 minutes and 30 seconds of extra hockey. Mud Bruneteau scored the winner.
Do you get a point for losing in overtime?
In the regular season, yes. A team losing in overtime or a shootout takes one point while the winner takes two. In the playoffs there are no points at all.
When did the NHL start three-on-three overtime?
In 2015-16, replacing four-on-four, specifically to reduce the number of games decided by shootout.
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