Hockey is a sport where you need to play as a team. There are many ways to play overtime in hockey and one of them is called shootouts. Shootouts happen when the game reaches the end of the third period and it’s still tied up at 0-0. Playing overtime is hard to do.
You have to maintain the same level of stamina, speed and skill as you would in a regular game. However, your team needs to be on the ball too because every point counts!
How does overtime work in hockey?
Overtime in hockey is a five-minute, sudden-death period. If the game is still tied after overtime, then they go to a shootout. Shootouts are decided by which team has more goals after three rounds of shooters.
The first shooter from each team shoots against the opposing goalie and whoever scores wins the round.
Teams alternate shots until one side has won as many rounds as it needs to win the game. In professional leagues, teams shoot alternately at opposite ends of the rink for 15 minutes or until one side scores; amateur leagues may have shorter periods for this portion of the play.
What happens if a player gets too tired and can’t continue playing?
Players are not able to play overtime in hockey if they are too tired. This player would have to be subbed out of the game.
The rest of the team players need to take care of the player that was subbed out so that they don’t fall over or get hurt from exhaustion.
Pros and cons
The NHL has been discussing the idea of eliminating overtime and instead of going to a shootout. There are pros and cons to both options. Eliminating overtime would save time for players, however, it also takes away from one of the most exciting parts of hockey games.
Having an elimination round after regulation could be problematic if teams do not have enough players left on their team to play or if they are too exhausted from playing so much already during the game.
Going straight to a shootout may take some excitement out of the game because there’s no risk involved with it being sudden death, meaning that you can still lose even though you’re up by one goal at the end of regulation time.
The significance of winning or losing an OT game
The significance of winning overtime is it gives the team more confidence on the ice and in their performance. It also can give them a better position on the leaderboard. The significance of losing over time is it leads to more negative feelings and thoughts which can result in them getting further behind.
They may have an easier time at some games but after a while, they will start feeling more defeated until eventually, they will spiral down into a deep hole.
Why is it hard to play overtime?
Playing overtime in hockey can be hard to do because you have to maintain the same level of stamina, speed, and skill as you would in a regular game.
You need to be on the ball and make sure that your team is also on the ball because every point counts and it’s only a five-minute sudden-death period.
Overtime rules and regulations for NHL games
Every game in the NHL has three periods. The first two periods are 20 minutes each, while the third period is typically 15 minutes. At the end of regulation time, teams will play five-minute overtime periods until one team scores (unless otherwise specified by league rules). Overtime periods are sudden death; whichever team scores first during an overtime period wins the game. Shootouts are an optional way to resolve tied games after the third period.
Playoffs will use this method to break ties in games that went to overtime; instead of playing their own round, they will go straight to a shootout. Shootouts occur when a game is tied following three rounds of shooters (the first shooter from each team shoots against the opposing goalie). The winner of a shootout is typically awarded one point in the NHL. The loser will get zero points and must wait for their next game to score and earn points.
Conclusion
The thrill of overtime in hockey comes from the pressure to perform well under high-stress conditions.
It’s up to you which option you prefer: do you want a longer game with more points or a shorter game with less?
