NHL overtime rules
Five minutes of three-on-three, then a shootout.
This season 43 of 187 games (23%) have gone past regulation: 29 settled in overtime, 14 in a shootout.
Regular season
A game tied after three periods goes to one five-minute overtime, played three-on-three (each team has three skaters and a goalie) and sudden death: the first goal wins.
If nobody scores, the game goes to a shootout. Each team sends three shooters, alternating; the team with more goals after three rounds wins. Still level, it goes round by round, sudden death, until one team scores and the other does not.
The shootout winner is credited with one goal, so a 3-3 game won in the shootout goes in the books as 4-3. Shootout goals do not count in players' goal totals.
Points in the standings
Every win is worth two points, in regulation, overtime or the shootout. A loss in regulation is worth nothing; a loss in overtime or the shootout is worth one point. That is the OTL column in the standings.
When teams are level on points, the first tiebreaker is regulation wins, then regulation and overtime wins (shootout wins left out), then total wins.
Playoffs
There is no shootout and no three-on-three. A tied playoff game goes to full 20-minute periods of five-on-five, sudden death, with an intermission between each, for as long as it takes.
Overtime by team, 2026-27
Extra is games that went past regulation. OT and SO are wins and losses in overtime and in the shootout.
Questions
How does overtime work in the NHL?
A game tied after three periods goes to one five-minute overtime, played three-on-three (each team has three skaters and a goalie) and sudden death: the first goal wins. If nobody scores, the game goes to a shootout.
How long is NHL overtime?
Five minutes in the regular season, then a shootout if it is still tied. In the playoffs, full 20-minute periods until someone scores.
Do you get a point for an overtime loss in the NHL?
Every win is worth two points, in regulation, overtime or the shootout. A loss in regulation is worth nothing; a loss in overtime or the shootout is worth one point. That is the OTL column in the standings.
Is there a shootout in the NHL playoffs?
No. A tied playoff game goes to full 20-minute periods of five-on-five, sudden death, with an intermission between each, for as long as it takes.
Does a shootout goal count as a goal?
The shootout winner is credited with one goal, so a 3-3 game won in the shootout goes in the books as 4-3. Shootout goals do not count in players' goal totals.
How many NHL games go to overtime?
So far this season, 43 of 187 games (23%) have gone past regulation: 29 settled in overtime, 14 in a shootout. The Sharks has played the most extra time, 6 games.