Latest News About Stanley Cup Overtime Rules

Here’s the latest on Stanley Cup overtime rules as they relate to the playoffs.

Direct answer

• In the NHL playoffs, overtime is played as five-on-five hockey in 20-minute periods, and it is sudden death: the first goal ends the game. If a goal is not scored in a 20-minute overtime, another 20-minute overtime period is played, and so on, until a goal is scored. There is no shootout in the playoffs. This format has been in place since 2015-16 and remains the standard for Stanley Cup Final games as well as earlier rounds.[2][4][5]

Context and nuances

• Overtime is specifically designed to minimize the chance of a tie after regulation and to preserve the thrill of playoff hockey, which is why it uses multiple full 20-minute periods rather than a shorter, three-on-three format or shootouts in the postseason.[4][5]
• Penalty situations during playoff overtime can create temporary imbalances (e.g., a power play may temporarily make it four-on-three or five-on-three), but once penalties expire, the teams return to the standard five-on-five, and play continues until a goal is scored.[1]

Recent trends and notes

• There have been notes in recent years about discussions or changes to overtime formats for various competitions, but the official Stanley Cup Playoffs overtime rule is still five-on-five, 20-minute periods, sudden death, with no shootouts in the postseason. Some articles discuss historical overtime records or hypothetical scenarios, but they do not reflect a formal rule change for the current playoffs.[5][2][4]
• For historical context, the playoff overtime format has been consistently described as multiple sudden-death 20-minute periods, with no shootouts, since the policy was established, including explanations of how penalties impact play during an overtime period.[9][5]

Illustration

• Example: In a hypothetical playoff game tied after the first 20-minute overtime, the teams would immediately start a second 20-minute overtime period with the same five-on-five setup, continuing until a goal is scored; there is no shootout in the playoffs. This is a standard rule across Stanley Cup Final games and earlier rounds.[4][5]

Citations

• Overtime structure and sudden death in playoffs; no shootouts in postseason.[4]
• No shootouts in playoffs; multiple 20-minute periods until a goal ends the game.[5]
• Penalty adjustments during overtime (temporary four-on-three or five-on-three) and return to even strength after penalties expire.[1]

If you’d like, I can pull the exact current official NHL rule wording or summarize how recent playoff overtime games have played out this season.