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Bryan Murphy
There is nothing more entertaining in sports than overtime hockey.
The NHL is one of the most entertaining leagues in the world. From the speed to the skill to the physicality, hockey provides must-watch entertainment every night. However, the sudden-death factor in overtime adds added tension and suspense, as clubs go up and down the ice with scoring chances on each end.
Since the NHL established the 3-on-3 format in overtime for the regular season, it has provided a plethora of highlights, whether that be crazy goals to end a game or sensational defensive stops to keep the contest alive.
And of course, when it comes to the postseason, is there anything better than overtime playoff hockey?
There are a few differences between overtime rules in the regular season and the playoffs. For those who aren’t clear on how overtime works in the NHL, here is an explainer on what happens if a game is tied after regulation in the regular season and playoffs.
MORE: Looking back at the longest games in NHL history
The NHL has gone through a number of changes to its overtime format.
Before the 2015-16 season, the league adopted the 3-on-3 OT. The AHL and ECHL had used this format before the NHL decided to implement it in place of 4-on-4.
The full section of the NHL rulebook on overtime can be found here.
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The NHL utilized a 5-on-5, 20-minute overtime period in 1921 before slimming it down to 10 minutes in 1927. At the time, the league still used the sudden-death format.
In 1928, the league changed to non-sudden death, meaning the period would run for the entire 10 minutes, no matter if a goal was scored. If the game remained tied at the end of OT, it was declared a draw.
In 1942, due to wartime restrictions with train schedules, overtime was eliminated from regular-season play. Any game tied after regulation would end in a tie, however, in the playoffs, the league continued to have 20-minute sudden-death OT periods.
MORE: Why is the NHL championship called the Stanley Cup?
The NHL reimplemented the OT period, in the regular season over 40 years later, this time with a five-minute, sudden-death period. The league continued with the 5-on-5 format until 1999, when it changed to 4-on-4 play for the regular season.
It was also the same season that teams got a point if they lost in OT and two points for winning. If no team scored in OT, both teams earned a point.
The shootout was put in place in 2005 after the NHL lockout. If no team scored in the overtime frame, then a shootout would decide the winner. This eliminated ties completely in the game of hockey.
Finally, the current 3-on-3 format was adopted in 2015, and there have been no plans on going away from it.
MORE: Complete list of every Stanley Cup winner in history
Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.
