Ice Hockey
Ice hockey overtime and shootouts: how tied games are decided
A tied ice hockey game can continue beyond regulation, but the exact format depends on the competition and stage. This guide explains sudden-death overtime, 3-on-3 play, shootouts and why tournament rules matter.
What overtime means
When regulation ends tied, the applicable competition rules may send the game to overtime. Overtime is sudden death: the first legal goal ends the game. The length of overtime and the number of skaters are set by the competition format.
Why 3-on-3 appears
Many current IIHF championship overtime formats use three skaters plus one goalkeeper per team. Penalties can change the number of players on the ice, so numerical strength during overtime is handled by the penalty and overtime rules.
When a shootout is used
If the competition calls for a shootout and overtime ends without a goal, teams take alternating penalty-shot attempts. The shootout is a tiebreak procedure, not another timed period, and only the decisive shootout goal is added to the game result.
The format depends on the tournament
For example, the 2026 IIHF World Championship used 5-minute 3-on-3 overtime in preliminary games, 10 minutes in specified playoff games, and repeated 20-minute sudden-death overtime in the gold-medal game. Always check the rules for the specific competition.