Overtime in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs: How does it work?

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff projectionsNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Playoffs Leon Draisaitl scored an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final last year. Codie McLachlan / Getty Images Share articleThe Stanley Cup playoffs and overtime go together like all great pairs: peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. An already dramatic hockey game gets a breath-holding period of next-goal-wins play. In the playoffs, there is no three-on-three gimmickry, no shootouts, no time limit. If a game is tied after regulation, it’s five-on-five hockey — barring penalties — for as long as it takes, with 20-minute periods. Most overtime games won’t require a second period, though four of them did in the 2025 playoffs. The most dramatic was in Game 7 of the first-round series between Winnipeg and St. Louis, when the Jets scored in double overtime after tying the game with two goals late in the third period. In last year’s playoffs, 20 of the 86 total games went beyond regulation. Twelve occurred in the first round and five in the second round. And even though it felt like the Florida Panthers handled the Edmonton Oilers with ease in the Stanley Cup Final, three of the six games went to overtime. How many overtime games will be played over the next two months? And who will provide the heroics? It remains to be seen, but here’s a refresher on how things work after regulation: • After the third period, the game will pause for 15 minutes — an “intermission” during which teams return to their dressing rooms and the ice is resurfaced. • Upon returning, the teams will resume play at five-on-five for 20-minute periods, each followed by another 15-minute intermission if necessary, until a goal is scored. Once that happens, it’s “sudden death” to the losing team. • Remaining time from a penalty assessed near or at the end of regulation — or from the previous overtime period — carries over. • The home team shoots at the same end of the ice it had during the second period. If the game goes beyond one overtime period, the teams will alternate shooting ends. • As in regulation, after a stoppage in play, the home team is granted “last change” of on-ice players before the next faceoff. The visiting coach is required to deploy his skaters first. In NHL history, 15 games have gone into a fourth overtime period. Some seemed as though they might never end. Here are the five longest games in history, all of which went into a fifth or sixth overtime period: 1. March 24, 1936: Detroit Red Wings 1, Montreal Maroons 0 (sixth OT; 116 minutes, 30 seconds) 2. April 4, 1933: Toronto Maple Leafs 1, Boston Bruins 0 (sixth OT; 104:46) 3. May 4, 2000: Philadelphia Flyers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (fifth OT; 92:01) 4. Aug. 11, 2020: Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (fifth OT; 90:27) 5. April 24, 2003: Anaheim Ducks 4, Dallas Stars 3 (fifth OT; 80:48) And if you wonder (or forgot) how many times the Stanley Cup winner has been determined by an overtime goal, the answer is 17. The most recent was in 2014, when Alec Martinez scored in double overtime for the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5. The first example was Bill Cook of the New York Rangers in the first overtime period of Game 4 of the 1933 Cup Final. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Eric Stephens is a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in Southern California. Eric has been writing and talking about sports for newspapers and media outlets for more than 30 years. He has previously covered the NHL for The Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. He is also an occasional contributor on NHL Network. Follow Eric on Twitter @icemancometh