Olympics hockey overtime, shootout rules explained
- - Olympics hockey overtime, shootout rules explained
Mike Brehm, USA TODAYFebruary 17, 2026 at 3:03 AM
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Olympics hockey overtime, shootout rules explained
Olympics hockey, just like the NHL, doesn't allow for ties.
A game will go to overtime if it is tied after 60 minutes and there also is the possibility of a shootout if the game remains tied once an overtime period ends.
But there are differences between NHL rules and Olympic rules on how overtimes and shootouts are conducted. The maximum length of a sudden death overtime depends on the round in which the game is being played. And the shootout format is totally different from the one used by the NHL.
Here's an explainer on how overtimes and shootouts work in Olympic hockey:
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>United States and Germany players shake hands after competing in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
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United States and Germany players shake hands after competing in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
">United States and Germany players shake hands after competing in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
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Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Brady Tkachuk of United States in action with Kai Wissmann of Germany as linesperson Nick Briganti looks on in men's ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
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Brady Tkachuk of United States in action with Kai Wissmann of Germany as linesperson Nick Briganti looks on in men's ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
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Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 15, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Quinn Hughes #43 of Team United States skates with the puck against Parker Tuomie #62 of Team Germany in the first period during the Men's Preliminary Group C match between the United States and Germany on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 15, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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Quinn Hughes #43 of Team United States skates with the puck against Parker Tuomie #62 of Team Germany in the first period during the Men's Preliminary Group C match between the United States and Germany on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 15, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
">Quinn Hughes #43 of Team United States skates with the puck against Parker Tuomie #62 of Team Germany in the first period during the Men's Preliminary Group C match between the United States and Germany on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 15, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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1 / 22USA and Germany meet on Olympic ice for high-stakes men's hockey
United States and Germany players shake hands after competing in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Olympic overtime rules
If the teams are tied after 60 minutes in the preliminary round, a five-minute sudden-death overtime will be played at 3-on-3. Unlike the NHL, teams don't change ends for overtime.
Overtime in a playoff game, along with the bronze medal game, lasts a maximum of 10 minutes. It's also 3-on-3, as opposed to 5-on-5 in NHL playoff games.
In the gold medal game, teams play 20-minute 3-on-3 overtime periods, separated by 15-minute intermissions, until someone scores. Teams don't change sides for the first overtime but do for subsequent overtimes.
Olympic shootout rules
If overtime doesn't settle a game outside of the gold medal game, there will be a shootout. The winner of a coin toss gets to choose whether their team shoots first or second.
The format differs from the NHL, with five shooters per team instead of three. If nothing is settled after five rounds, then each round is sudden death as in the NHL. But there's another difference. Olympic teams can use the same shooters multiple times during the sudden death rounds (think back to TJ Oshie in the 2014 Olympics). They also can change goaltenders.
In the sudden death round, the team that shot second in the first five rounds will shoot first. The rounds continue until one team finishes with one more goal than the other. That team is declared the winner.
Overtime games at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Feb. 15 - Switzerland 4, Czechia 3: Switzerland's Dean Kukan scored at 1:49 of overtime.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Overtime, shootout rules in Olympics hockey: How it differs from NHL
Source: “AOL Sports”
