The NHL‘s Stanley Cup playoffs are underway, bringing a major change to the overtime format.
No more three-on-three play, no more shootouts after five minutes of scoreless play, as happens during regular-season overtime. There is sudden death, but it could last a very long time.
One of those games wasn’t that long ago. The Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference final in a game that lasted nearly a full four overtime periods. It came close to going to a fifth overtime, but Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk scored the winner with 12.7 seconds left in the period. It was the sixth-longest playoff game in NHL history.
So far in the 2025 NHL playoffs, 10 games have gone to overtime, including two double-overtime games.
Here’s a primer on playoff hockey overtime:
If the score is tied after three periods, the teams go to the dressing rooms for 15 minutes while the ice is resurfaced. Overtime periods last 20 minutes or until someone scores. It’s five-on-five play (barring penalties). If no one scores in the first overtime, the process repeats and continues until someone scores. The teams change sides for each overtime period. The first overtime is the long change to get back to the bench.
The NHL Situation Room reviews all goals to make sure they are legally scored. In last year’s Stars-Avalanche series, the league upheld a no-goal call on an apparent score by Dallas’ Mason Marchment because referees ruled Matt Duchene had interfered with then-Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev. Duchene later scored the winning goal.
April 29: Vegas’ Brett Howden scored at 15:55 of the first overtime for a 3-2 Golden Knights win against the Wild.
April 29: Carolina’s Sebastian Aho scored at 15:43 of the second overtime for a 5-4 Hurricanes win against the Devils.
April 27: Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored at 18:18 of the first overtime for a 4-3 Oilers win against the Kings.
April 26: Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev scored at 17:26 of the first overtime for a 4-3 Golden Knights win against the Wild.
April 26: Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson scored at 17:42 of the first overtime for a 4-3 Senators win against the Maple Leafs.
April 25: New Jersey’s Simon Nemec scored at 2:36 of the second overtime for a 3-2 Devils win against the Hurricanes.
April 24: Toronto’s Simon Benoit scored at 1:19 of the first overtime for a 3-2 Maple Leafs win against the Senators.
April 23: Dallas’ Tyler Seguin scored at 5:26 of the first overtime for a 2-1 Stars win against the Avalanche.
April 22: Toronto’s Max Domi scored at 16:51 of the first overtime for a 3-2 Maple Leafs win against the Senators.
April 21: Dallas’ Colin Blackwell scored at 17:46 of the first overtime for a 4-3 Stars win against the Avalanche.
April 21: Washington’s Alex Ovechkin scored at 2:26 of the first overtime for a 3-2 Capitals win against the Canadiens.
Yes, it’s sudden death. Once a team scores (and it’s clear it’s a good goal), the game is over.
It lasts as long as it takes for a team to score. If no one scores after 20 minutes in the first overtime, there’s an intermission, then they play a second overtime, etc.
Intermission is 15 minutes, the same length as it is during regulation time. Players go to the dressing room while the ice is resurfaced.
