The question: how long is a hockey game? In regular-season NHL hockey, overtime lasts for 5 minutes and is played in a 3-on-3 format, where the first team to score wins. If no one scores, a shootout determines the winner. In the playoffs, overtime is 20 minutes of 5-on-5 play, with sudden-death rules—meaning the first team to score wins. Overtime periods continue until a goal is scored.