Overtime in hockey is one of the most heart-pounding things you can experience in sports. There's nothing like a win-or-go-home situation where the next goal wins it all.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, overtime rules are slightly different than what NHL fans have experienced in recent years. Now that we're in the playoff rounds, if a game is tied after 60 minutes of regulation, there will be a 10 minute overtime period played at 3-on-3, which is different than the NHL's 20 minute overtime periods that continue until a goal is scored.
Not only that, after the 10 minute 3-on-3 overtime period if the score is still tied, there will be a shootout to decide the winner, with a coin toss deciding which team shoots first or second. In the shootout, instead of it being a best of three, it is a best of five where the same player can come back out and shoot multiple times for their team. You'll recall that T.J. Oshie was the star of the shootout for the United States back in the 2014 Winter Olympics thanks to these rules. If things are tied in the shootout after five skaters, the rules change to sudden death.
However, all of that gets thrown out the window in the gold medal game, where we return to the typical 20 minute overtime periods, but instead of 5-on-5 hockey, it stays at 3-on-3. There are 15 minute intermissions between periods and play continues until the first team scores.
Now you know!
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What are the overtime rules for hockey at the Olympics?