The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are back and with that comes a major change in the overtime format.
No more three-on-three play, no more shootouts after five minutes of scoreless play, both staples of regular-season overtime. There is sudden death, but it could last a very long time.
Witness last season’s playoffs. The Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 1 of the 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, 15 playoff games in 2024 have gone to overtime, including four 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 room 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 NHL Situation Room reviews all goals to make sure they are legally scored. In Game 6 of this 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 Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev. Duchene later scored the winning goal.
March 26: Rangers 5, Panthers 4. New York’s Alex Wennberg scored at 5:35 of overtime.
March 24: Rangers 2, Panthers 1. New York’s Barclay Goodrow scored at 14:01 of overtime.
March 23: Oilers 3, Stars 2. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid scored at 32 seconds of the second overtime.
March 17: Stars 2, Avalanche 1. Dallas’ Matt Duchene scored at 11:42 of the second overtime.
May 10: Oilers 4, Canucks 3. Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard scored at 5:38 of overtime.
May 9:Rangers 3, Hurricanes 2. New York’s Artemi Panarin scored at 1:43 of overtime.
May 7: Avalanche 4, Stars 3. Colorado’s Miles Wood scored at 11:03 of overtime.
May 7: Rangers 4, Hurricanes 3. New York’s Vincent Trocheck scored at 7:24 of the second overtime.
May 4: Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1. Boston’s David Pastrnak scored at 1:54 of overtime.
April 30: Maple Leafs 2, Bruins 1. Toronto’s Matthew Knies scored at 2:26 of overtime.
April 28: Canucks 4, Predators 3. Vancouver’s Elias Lindholm scored at 1:02 of overtime.
April 27: Stars 3, Golden Knights 2. Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston scored at 16:23 of overtime.
April 27: Islanders 3, Hurricanes 2. New York’s Mathew Barzal scored at 1:24 of the second overtime.
April 24: Kings 5, Oilers 4. Los Angeles’ Anze Kopitar scored at 2:07 of overtime.
April 23: Panthers 3, Lightning 2. Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe scored at 2:59 of overtime.
