NHL overtime: regular season vs playoffs
Five-minute regular-season overtime and repeated playoff periods are not interchangeable.
Regular-season overtime is sudden death
NHL Rule 84.1 provides overtime of no more than five minutes after tied regulation, normally with three skaters and a goalkeeper per team. The first scoring team wins and gets an additional standings point. Both sides already receive one point for reaching that tied-regulation stage.
A hypothetical 5-5 game can end 6-5 from an overtime goal. That is a goal in live overtime play, not a shootout conversion. Penalty situations can alter player strength, so three skaters is not an unconditional count for every moment.
A shootout follows a still-tied regular-season overtime
Rule 84.4 sends a regular-season game to a shootout if it remains tied after the five-minute overtime. It is a separate deciding procedure, not another ordinary period of open play.
The displayed final score and the shootout tally answer different questions. Check the finish label before interpreting an extra goal in the team total as a normal scored goal by an individual.
Playoffs use a different format
Under Rule 84.5, tied Stanley Cup Playoff games continue with 20-minute overtime periods until a team scores. The retrieved rule does not use the regular-season five-minute-then-shootout route for that playoff format.
ScoreZaap's OT label needs competition context. This guide is about the NHL 2026-27 rulebook, not a claim that every hockey league uses identical timing or player-strength rules.