If you’ve never experienced NHL overtime before, it’s unlike anything else in sports: a frenetic, sudden-death period with constant action and tension building with every shot. The best part? Each side plays with only three or four skaters (plus a goalie), which leads to even more skill and intrigue in extra time. That said, the rules surrounding overtime — and how it impacts the NHL standings — can be confusing if you aren’t familiar with how it works. Here’s everything you need to know about the NHL overtime process.
When did NHL overtime start? How have the rules changed?
Overtime was introduced in the NHL in 1921. Overtime began as an additional 20-minute sudden-death period of five-on-five action before being trimmed to 10 minutes in 1927 and five minutes in 1983. The rules regarding overtime changed many times over the last century, including the elimination of sudden-death rules (1928) and the elimination of overtime altogether in the regular season (1942). Even with overtime in place, the league allowed games to end in a draw until 2005, when the introduction of the shootout in the regular season eliminated the possibility for a game to end in a tie. In 2015, overtime was reduced to three-on-three in the regular season, marking the last major change to overtime rules in the NHL.
How does overtime work in the Stanley Cup playoffs?
The rules for overtime are simple in the NHL postseason. If the game is tied through three periods, each team keeps five skaters on the ice for an overtime period lasting up to 20 minutes — just like in regulation — and the game continues until one team scores. If the first overtime period ends without a goal, the teams will continue to play additional 20-minute overtime periods until someone scores.
How does overtime work in the NHL regular season?
If two teams are tied at the end of regulation in the regular season, the game goes to a sudden-death overtime period lasting up to five minutes, and the first team to score wins. Unlike in the postseason, each side features just three skaters (plus a goalie) on the ice in a regular-season overtime period — down from the typical five-on-five setup in regulation. If neither team scores in the sudden-death overtime period, the game goes to a shootout.
How do shootouts work?
If the game remains tied after five minutes of sudden-death overtime, each team selects three shooters to participate in a three-round shootout. Those players alternate shot attempts in the three-round shootout, skating alone down the ice in an attempt to score on the opposing goalie. If the score remains tied after three rounds, the game advances to a sudden-death shootout, with each side getting one shot per round to win the game. This continues until one team scores and the other does not.
What happens if there is a penalty in overtime?
Typically, if a team commits a penalty in the NHL, they are forced to play without the offending player for the duration of the penalty while the other team enjoys a power-play advantage. That isn’t the case in overtime, as each team is required to have at least three skaters on the ice at all times. Instead, the team on the power play gains an additional skater for a four-on-three advantage for the duration of the penalty. If the team on the penalty kill commits another penalty, the team on the power play enjoys a five-on-three advantage. Once the penalty expires, the offending player can return to the ice, and each team will play at even strength (four-on-four or five-on-five) until the next whistle, when they’ll return to three-on-three.
How does overtime affect the NHL standings?
Instead of relying solely on wins and losses, the NHL uses a points system to determine its regular-season standings: two points for a win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss and zero points for a regulation loss. This is a way to help mitigate the randomness that comes from overtime hockey, originating from the days when each side received one point for a tie. The extra point for an overtime/shootout loss was introduced in 1999, six years before the elimination of the tie. There’s one exception to this rule: If a team pulls its goalie for an extra attacker in overtime and loses on an empty-net goal, they forfeit the extra point that comes from an overtime loss.
Can the game end in a tie?
Ties used to be a regular occurrence in hockey until 2005, when the NHL introduced the shootout following the end of overtime. Now, teams trade shootout rounds until one team wins — or, in the postseason, continue playing sudden-death overtime periods until one team scores.
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Source: www.espn.com