The NHL and many other hockey leagues around the world use two different methods to end tie games when it comes to the regular season and the playoffs. They implement a short five or 10-minute overtime period followed by a penalty shot shootout to declare a winner in the regular season but extend the overtime periods and do away with the shootout in the postseason. This means games are only decided when a goal is scored in sudden-death overtime, regardless of how long it may take.
There are no shootouts during the playoffs as the leagues prefer to let the outcome of the game be decided by a goal which resembles regulation-time hockey rather than having it decided by a one-on-one competition between shooters and goaltenders.
Did Playoff Hockey Ever Include the Shootout?
The NHL introduced the three-shot shootout format to end tie games in the 2005/06 season but has never used shootouts to decide playoff contests.
However, some of the world’s top hockey tournaments such as the Olympics and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships and Junior Championships used a shootout system for ties games in the past, including gold-medal contests.
Most major tournaments have now extended the length of the overtime period during the event’s medal rounds and have eliminated the shootout altogether in medal games, choosing to decide a winner via sudden-death, three-on-three overtime.
What Happens After Regulation Time During a Tied NHL Playoff Game?
If an NHL playoff game is tied after 60 minutes of regulation play it will be decided in sudden-death overtime, with a period five minutes long.
How Does Overtime Work in Playoff Hockey?
Instead of the overtime periods featuring three-on-three hockey with a goaltender and lasting just five minutes, which is the format used in the regular season, each team ices five skaters and a netminder in playoff overtime and the periods are a full 20 minutes in length. The game continues until a goal is scored and the ice is resurfaced after each 20-minute period.
Did the NHL Change the Overtime Playoff Rules?
The NHL playoffs have always featured a sudden-death, five-on-five 20-minute overtime format and this has led to some very lengthy postseason games in the past. The longest playoff game in NHL history as of January, 2023 was the semifinal matchup between the Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings on March 24th, 1936.
Detroit won 1-0 when Mud Bruneteau notched the game-winner with 3:30 remaining in the sixth period of overtime. The teams played 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime hockey following 60 minutes of regulation-time play.
Read our post on NHL Shootout Rules here.
Do NHL Players Even Like Shootouts?
With over 600 players in the NHL, it’s reasonable to expect a wide variety of opinions when it comes to shootouts. Some players enjoy the concept while others don’t. It would be safe to say that those who are successful at the venture support it while those who don’t usually participate in shootouts aren’t the biggest fans of the system.
Should Hockey Just Remove the Shootout Altogether?
With each NHL team playing an 82-game regular-season schedule it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect them to keep playing until somebody scores in overtime. Teams have flights to catch and hotels rooms to book into, so a tight schedule needs to be kept.
However, it could be possible to remain on schedule if the overtime games were extended from five minutes to perhaps, seven, eight or even 10 minutes in length. The majority of tie games end in overtime anyway and an extended overtime would likely make the shootout something of a rarity.
Final Thoughts
The shootout is despised by some fans and loved by others. It may be something of a gimmick but at least it means tie games are decided by hockey skills. Yes, it’s an individual competition in a team sport but unless the NHL wants to revert to keeping tie games in the standings, the shootout system is likely here to stay.
Read all about overtime rules in the regular season vs playoffs here.
Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.