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Overtime in ice hockey is a method of determining the winner and loser of ice hockey matches should a game be tied after regulation. Two main methods include the overtime period (commonly referred to as overtime), and the shootout.
Overtime Periods
Overtime periods are extra periods beyond the third regulation period during a game, where normal hockey rules apply. Although in the past, full-length overtime periods were played, overtimes today are sudden-death, meaning that the game ends immediately when a player scores a goal.
In the National Hockey League regular season, overtimes are five minutes in length, compared to the twenty minutes of regulation periods. In overtime, players play four-on-four hockey. Should overtime end without either side scoring, the game is declared a tie.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, overtime periods are identical to regulation periods, except that teams continue to play overtime periods until a goal is scored, as a winner and a loser must be determined.
In other leagues, and in international competitions, a failure to reach a decision in a single overtime may lead to a shootout. Some leagues may eschew overtime periods altogether and end games in shootout should teams be tied at the end of regulation.
Shootout
In a shootout (or more formally, the penalty shootout), five skaters from a team take penalty shots against an opposing goaltender, with teams alternating shots. The team with the most goals wins the hockey game, and should teams remain tied, more skaters take shots, although both teams must make an equal number of shots before a decision is made.
In the National Hockey League All-Star Skills Competition, the competition ends in a penalty shootout known as the Breakaway Relay.
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