Ice hockey basics: periods, overtime, shootouts and power plays
An ice hockey game is three periods of 20 minutes, and the clock runs only while the puck is in play. If the score is level after those 60 minutes, the game does not end in a draw: it goes to overtime, and in most competitions to a shootout after that. How long the overtime lasts, how many skaters are on the ice and whether a shootout exists at all depends on the competition, which is why the same "4–3" can carry a small "OT" or "SO" next to it.
Three periods of stopped time
Both the NHL rulebook and the IIHF rulebook define a game as three 20-minute periods of actual play. Every whistle stops the clock, so a period takes far longer than 20 minutes in real time. Between periods the teams leave the ice for an intermission: 18 minutes in the NHL and 15 minutes under IIHF rules, unless the organiser sets a different length.
On a live score, "2nd 07:45" therefore tells you which period is being played and what the game clock shows. An "intermission" or "break" status means the period is over and the ice is being resurfaced. The guide to match statuses on a live score covers these labels for every sport.
Level after 60 minutes: who plays what
The table below sums up the rules in force in the NHL's 2026-27 rulebook and in the IIHF's current rule book and sport regulations.
| Competition | Overtime | If nobody scores |
|---|---|---|
| NHL regular season | One period of up to 5 minutes, 3-on-3, first goal wins | Shootout: 3 shots per team, then sudden death |
| NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs | Full 20-minute periods at normal strength after a 15-minute intermission, repeated until a goal | No shootout |
| IIHF preliminary round / round robin | One period of up to 5 minutes, 3-on-3, first goal wins | Shootout: 5 shooters per team, then tie-break shots |
| IIHF playoff games and bronze-medal game | One period of up to 10 minutes, 3-on-3, first goal wins | Shootout: 5 shooters per team, then tie-break shots |
| IIHF gold-medal game | 20-minute periods, 3-on-3, repeated until a goal | No shootout |
"Sudden death" means the first goal ends the game on the spot, whatever the clock shows.
How the shootout works
A shootout is a series of one-on-one attempts: a skater starts from centre ice and takes on the goalkeeper alone. In the NHL each team gets three shots; if it is still level, it continues one pair at a time until one side scores and the other does not. Under IIHF rules the series starts with five different shooters per team, and in the tie-break phase the same player may shoot again.
Whatever happens in the series, the winner is credited with exactly one extra goal. A game that was 3–3 after overtime becomes 4–3, even if the winning team converted three attempts.
How the result is marked
A game decided after the 60 minutes normally carries a label next to the final score:
- OT or "after overtime": the winning goal came in overtime.
- SO or "after penalties" / "after shootout": the game was decided by the shootout, and the winner's total includes that single extra goal.
- No label: the game ended in regulation.
Standings points: NHL versus IIHF
| Outcome | NHL | IIHF |
|---|---|---|
| Win in regulation | 2 | 3 |
| Win in overtime or shootout | 2 | 2 |
| Loss in overtime or shootout | 1 | 1 |
| Loss in regulation | 0 | 0 |
In the NHL each team is awarded one point when regulation ends level, and the overtime or shootout winner gets one more. The point kept by the beaten side is what fans call the "loser point". The IIHF uses a three-point system: a regulation win is worth more than a win after overtime, so tables at a World Championship reward finishing the job inside 60 minutes.
Power play and penalty kill
Hockey punishes fouls with time rather than with cards. The penalised player sits in the penalty box and his team plays with fewer skaters: the team with the extra skater is on the power play, the other is on the penalty kill.
- Minor penalty: 2 minutes. If the team on the power play scores, the penalty ends immediately and the player returns.
- Major penalty: 5 minutes. It is served in full, however many goals are scored.
- Misconduct: 10 minutes for the player, but a substitute may take his place at once, so the team is not short-handed because of it.
A goal scored by the team that is a skater down is a short-handed goal. On many score sheets you will see "PP" or "SH" next to a goal for exactly this reason.
Empty net and the delayed penalty
A team that trails late in the game often takes its goalkeeper off the ice and sends out an extra attacker. The goal is then unguarded, and a goal scored into it is an empty-net goal, often marked "EN".
The same substitution happens on a delayed penalty. When the team without the puck commits a foul, the referee raises an arm and lets play continue until the offending team gains control of the puck. Until then the other side cannot realistically concede, so its goalkeeper skates to the bench for a sixth skater. If that team scores during the delay, a minor penalty is not imposed.
Icing and offside in brief
Icing. A team may not shoot the puck from its own half of the ice across the opponent's goal line; play is stopped, the face-off comes back into the offending team's end and that team may not change its players. A team that is short-handed is exempt and may clear the puck the length of the ice.
Offside. Attacking players may not enter the attacking zone ahead of the puck; what counts is the position of the skates in relation to the blue line at the moment the puck crosses it. An offside stops play and brings a face-off.
Reading period scores on a live score
On the ice hockey live scores page each game shows the running total and, on the match page, the score of every period. Take a made-up example: "4–3 SO (1–0, 1–2, 1–1, 0–0)". The home team won the first period 1–0, lost the second 1–2, drew the third 1–1, and nobody scored in overtime. The period scores add up to 3–3; the fourth goal is the one awarded for the shootout.
A few habits help:
- An extra column after the third period is overtime; "1–0" there means the game ended at that instant.
- During the evening, the live scores overview shows which games are still running; in the morning, yesterday's results is the quickest way to catch up on NHL games played overnight in Europe.
If you follow a team, star it and switch on notifications as described in the guide to alerts and favourites. For how updates reach the page at all, see how live scores work.
Frequently asked questions
Can an ice hockey game end in a draw?
Not in the NHL and not at IIHF championships. Every game produces a winner through overtime and, where the rules provide for it, a shootout.
Why did the power play end before the two minutes were up?
A minor penalty ends as soon as the team with the extra skater scores. A major penalty does not: the five minutes are served in full.
Is overtime in hockey the same as extra time in football?
No. Football plays two fixed halves of extra time, while hockey overtime ends with the first goal. The football version is explained in the guide to stoppage time, extra time and penalties.