What are the rules for overtime in the NHL Playoffs?

With a week to go before the 2023 NHL Playoffs are tentatively set to begin, several teams have reached the stage where every game is a must-win. The first round of the playoffs is currently scheduled to begin on April 17.

The race for the final three Wild Card spots in each conference continues with only three days remaining in the regular season. Last night we saw the group of contenders continue to thin out as the Calgary Flames have officially been eliminated from reaching the NHL Playoffs.

"The Calgary Flames have 16 Overtime/shootout loses and if they won all of those they would be 2nd in the league. #Flames" - Sports Dude

The Calgary Flames have lost 17 games in overtime this season, which is the main reason the team will not appear in the NHL Playoffs this year. Unfortunately, for Calgary, the overtime rules during the regular season are different from overtime in the postseason, which could have helped the Flames advance.

During the regular season, if a game went to overtime, teams would play five minutes of three-on-three action. If no goals were scored, the game would go to a shootout to determine the winner. However, this is not how overtime works in the NHL Playoffs.

In the quest for the Stanley Cup, if a game goes to overtime, teams will play as long as needed to determine a winner. If it takes three overtime periods, then teams will play three extra periods, adding to the overall drama of the postseason.

"The NHL should have shootouts in playoff games for the next CBA if there are multiple triple-overtime playoff games this season." - @j4lambert

While some may feel that overtime games in the playoffs can drag on, the fact that an important game is not determined by a shootout is something welcomed by the majority of fans.

What is the longest overtime in the history of the NHL Playoffs?

While some fans may believe that they watched the longest playoff overtime in history, if they are not talking about the May 4, 2000, matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, then they did not watch it.

During game four between the Penguins and Flyers, Philadelphia would even up the series at 2-2 after playing five periods of overtime. After 152.01 minutes of overtime, Keith Primeau helped secure the victory against the Penguins.

"Keith Primeau goes bar-down in the fifth overtime to win Game 4 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals! @penguins vs. @NHLFlyers heats up again on Saturday! #StadiumSeries: 8:00p ET on @nbc, @Sportsnet & @TVASports" - NHL

The Flyers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, ultimately falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the New Jersey Devils.