OT rules: Chaos returns to ice

While preseason and regular-season games end with a shootout if a five-minute, three-on-three overtime period doesn’t determine a winner, the NHL playoffs mean a lot of sleepless nights because games will go on ... technically forever.

But in this edition of the postseason, hockey fans and those rooting for the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference or the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets in the West won’t care too much about extended ice time for their teams.

NHL playoff overtime rules

Think regular hockey until there is a winner played like the regulation periods. The playoffs continue with 20-minute periods of five-on-five play until there is a winner. The game continues (after a 15-minute break) with subsequent overtime periods in sudden-death fashion.

Longest NHL playoff games

1 - Six overtimes (116 minutes, 30 seconds of OT) in the 1936 semifinals, March 24, 1935. Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0. Mud Bruneteau scored the winner.

2 - Six overtimes (104 minutes, 46 seconds of overtime) in the 1933 semifinals. April 3, 1933. Toronto 1, Boston 0. Ken Doraty scored the winner.

3 - Five overtimes (92 minutes, 1 second of overtime) in the 2000 conference semifinals. Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1. Keith Primeau scored the winner.

4 - Five overtimes (80 minutes, 48 seconds of overtime) in the 1996 conference semifinals. Anaheim 4, Dallas 3. Petr Sykora scored the winner.

5 - Four overtimes (79 minutes, 15 seconds of overtime) in the 1996 conference semifinals. Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2. Petr Nedved scored the winner.

Which 2023 playoff games have gone into overtime?

April 17: Wild 3, Stars 2. Minnesota’s

Ryan Hartman scored at 12:20 of the second overtime.

April 17: Kings 4, Oilers 3. Los Angeles’ Alex Iafallo scored at 9:19 of overtime.

April 19: Hurricanes 4, Islanders 3.

Carolina’s Jesper Fast scored at 5:03 of overtime.

April 21: Kings 3, Oilers 2. Los Angeles’ Trevor Moore scored at 3:24 of overtime.

April 22: Golden Knights 5, Jets 4.

Vegas’ Michael Amadio scored at 3:40 of the second overtime.

April 22: Maple Leafs 4, Lightning 3:

Toronto’s Morgan Rielly scored at 19:15 of overtime.

April 22: Devils 2, Rangers 1: New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton scored at 11:36 of overtime.

April 23: Oilers 5, Kings 4. Edmonton’s Zach Hyman scored at 10:39 of overtime.

Who in the 2023 postseason has the most career playoff overtime goals?

5 - Rangers’ Patrick Kane and Lightning’s

Corey Perry

4 - Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron

3 - Lightning’s Brayden Point, Bruins’ Brad Marchand, Stars’ Joe Pavelski and Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal

JAMES GUILLORY/USA TODAY SPORTS Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jesper Fast celebrates his overtime goal against the New York Islanders in Game 2 on April 19.