NHL
hockey rules.
Before the jargon, the actual structure: how goals happen, how long you're committing to, and what happens when it's close. Six questions, plain answers.
How is hockey scored?
One point per goal, full stop. The puck has to completely cross the goal line for it to count, not just get close to it, and referees will stop play to review close ones on video before the goal is made official.
How long is a hockey game?
An NHL game is three 20-minute periods, 60 minutes of game clock total. The clock stops constantly for whistles, penalties, and other stoppages, so an actual broadcast runs closer to two and a half hours.
What happens if a hockey game is tied?
In the regular season, a tied game goes to a 5-minute overtime played 3-on-3, fewer skaters than usual, which opens up fast, end-to-end action. Still tied after that, it comes down to a shootout, where players take turns on individual attempts against the goalie. The playoffs skip the shootout entirely: teams play full 5-on-5, 20-minute sudden-death overtime periods, as many as it takes, until somebody scores.
Ballbot explains this stuff live, mid-game, in your group chat.
Save my seat →What happens when a player gets a penalty?
Break a rule and you head to the penalty box, commonly for two minutes, and your team has to play a skater short the whole time. That's what creates the power play and penalty kill you'll hear announcers mention constantly (the glossary covers both in more depth, so we won't redefine them here). A penalty is a real cost, not a slap on the wrist.
What are icing and offside?
Hockey has its own set of positioning rules, icing and offside among them, designed to stop a team from just launching the puck down the ice to kill time or stall out a line change. Both get whistled dead fast and reset with a face-off. The hockey glossary breaks down exactly how each one works and how to spot them live.
How do the NHL playoffs work?
The playoffs are best-of-seven series across four rounds, with the winner taking home the Stanley Cup. A series can flip entirely on one hot goalie standing on his head for a week, which is a big part of why playoff hockey gets so tense.
Other sports
Want the jargon too? The hockey glossarycovers the terms you'll hear once you already know how the game works.
Want Ballbot in your pocket?
Hail Mary explains exactly this stuff live during the game, in your group chat. iOS, summer 2026.
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