How is NHL playoff hockey different? Exploring the rules and regulations that are different for Stanley Cup playoffs 

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Apr 20, 2024 15:51 GMT

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Saturday night, and fans may be curious about the differences between the regular season and the postseason.

Surprisingly, there is only one difference.

Unlike the regular season, where a game could eventually be decided in a shootout, overtime in the playoffs consists of repeated sudden-death, 20-minute five-on-five sessions until one side scores.

Whereas in the regular season, they embark on a five-minute 3-on-3 overtime session.

In the event of a penalty in overtime, a team is never less than three players, so the club on the power play gains an extra skater and plays 4-on-3 for two minutes.

The Detroit Red Wings celebrate an overtime goal.

If no one scores, the team that killed off the infraction gets that player out of the box, and 4-on-4 play ensues until the next faceoff, reverting to 3-on-3 for the duration.

Should the teams remain deadlocked in a tie, they proceed to a three-round shootout and continue altering turns until a winner is determined.

The longest shootout game in NHL history occurred on Dec. 16, 2014, when the Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals in 20 rounds.

Is playoff hockey sudden death?

Sudden death is one of the most exciting elements of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unlike the regular season, postseason games continue until somebody wins.

After 60 minutes, the two teams don't immediately play a five-minute overtime. Instead, they return to their dressing rooms and await a flood, beginning the first extra period on fresh ice.

Teams restart play 5-on-5. All rules remain the same, and if a team is penalized, they will be shorthanded by one skater, while the opposing team will begin a standard 5-on-4 power play.

As mentioned, the only difference between the regular season and playoffs is the sudden death element. The first team to score in extra period wins the game.

When battling for the Stanley Cup, games can end 38 seconds into the first overtime or four hours later in the fifth overtime.

Whether it was Pat LaFontaine ending the "Easter Epic" between the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals in the fourth overtime in 1987 or Keith Primeau snipping home the winner for the Philadelphia Flyers over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth overtime in a 2000 game, a new hero emerges every night.

Moreover, NHL records are born in these games, like Joonas Korpisalo's historic 85 saves in 150:26 of play.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens played six overtimes on Mar. 24, 1936, the longest game in league history, with an astounding 116:30 of extra hockey.

Although kids have to go to school early and grown fans have to think about going to work in the morning, no one dares turn off the game once overtime starts.

Whether it's an early finish or one of the longest games in NHL history, everyone in attendance and watching at home gets to share the same experience of staying up past midnight to watch a playoff hockey game.