Hockey Overview Series: Hockey Basics; The Lingo; Brief History; Game Experience

Hockey teams move a puck along the ice using stick handling, passing, and shooting in an effort to score goals. A goal counts as one point and is scored when the puck completely crosses the opposing goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. The team scoring the greater number of goals in the allotted time wins the game.

The game is 60 minutes long with 3 periods lasting 20 minutes each. There are two 20 minute intermission sessions that start after the 1^st and 2^nd periods. There are 5 players on the ice for each team (not including the goalie) that consists of 2 defensemen and 3 forwards.

During the regular season, if the game is tied at the end of the 3^rd period, over time starts that decreases the amount of players on the ice for each team from 5 to 4 (not including the goalie). Over time is sudden death, which means the first team that scores, wins.

If the score remains tied after the 5 minute long OT, a shootout is started. A shootout is when one player from each team takes a turn trying to shoot the puck past the goalie. Three players for each team in turn take a penalty shot. The team with the most goals during the three-round shootout wins the game. If the game is still tied after the three shootout rounds, the shootout continues but becomes sudden death. Whichever team ultimately wins the shootout is awarded a goal in the game score and thus awarded two points in the standings. The losing team in overtime or shootout is awarded only one. Shootout goals and saves are not tracked in hockey statistics; shootout statistics are tracked separately.

Shootouts do not occur during the playoffs. In the playoffs, sudden-death 20-minute five-on-five periods are played until one team scores. While a game could technically continue forever, only four games have reached five overtime periods, two have reached six, and none have gone beyond six.

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