A shootout is an end-of-game practice that is used to break ties in hockey. Hockey tends to be a low-scoring game, and many 60-minute contests conclude with the score tied. The National Hockey League instituted the shootout prior to the start of the 2005-06 season so all games could come to a conclusion with a winner and a loser.
Scenario
National Hockey League teams play a 60-minute game to decide a winner. The game is divided into three 20-minute periods. In the regular season, if the game is tied at the end of the third period, the two teams play a five-minute sudden death overtime period. The overtime period differs from the regular game in that each team uses four skaters and a goalie instead of the standard five skaters and a goalie. If the game is tied at the end of the sudden death period, each coach selects three shooters to participate in the shootout.
Format
In a shootout, the puck is placed in the center-ice faceoff circle. A skater from team A will start off behind the center line and skate in to pick up the puck when given a signal from the referee. After the skater stickhandles in on the goalie, he attempts to shoot the puck past the goaltender. The goaltender is trying to block the shot. If the puck goes past the red goalline completely, it is a goal. After team A's shooter finishes his attempt, team B's first shooter does the same. The teams alternate shots for three rounds and if either team has scored more goals, than it wins the shootout.
Extended Shootout
Each team will get an equal number of chances to win the game. If neither team leads at the end of the third round, each team will continue to shoot one round at a time until one team is successful and the other team is not. If the team that shoots first in each round is successful, the team that shoots last will always get an opportunity to tie it up.
Standing Points
In the NHL, a team that wins a game gets two points in the standings and a team that loses doesn't get any points. However, a team that loses an overtime game or a shootout gets one point for keeping the game tied in regulation. This is done to give the losing team some reward for a strong effort. If teams are tied at the end of the regular season, teams with more regulation and overtime wins have an advantage over teams with more shootout wins.
Postseason
The shootout is not used in NHL postseason games. If teams are tied at the end of regulation time, the two teams will play as many 20-minute sudden death periods as needed to break the tie. The first team to score in overtime wins the playoff game.
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