An NHL regular-season game tied after regulation can move through overtime and then a shootout if required. Those are different stages. Overtime is live team play under its own format; the shootout uses individual attempts to determine the winner. A tied scoreboard at the end of regulation therefore does not tell you which kind of action you will see next.
Identify the current stage from the graphic
The period label should change when overtime begins. Watch the number of skaters and the fresh clock, because the regular-season extra period has a different structure from ordinary regulation. If no winner emerges under that procedure, the broadcast can move to a shootout. Do not describe the first shootout attempt as another overtime shift. The game has entered a separate deciding mechanism with a different sequence and a different way of displaying attempts.
Read overtime as a possession contest
With more open ice in the regular-season format, losing control can create a rapid counterattack. A team may circle back to preserve possession rather than force a low-quality attempt. That can look cautious while still being strategically active. Follow where the support players are and whether the puck carrier has a safe option. The relevant comparison is the quality of the chance created against the danger of surrendering possession, not the number of seconds spent skating away from the goal.
Read the shootout as attempts, not another period
The scoreboard may display marks for successful and unsuccessful attempts. Each shooter faces a specific individual opportunity, and the order of attempts affects whether another is necessary. Wait for the officials and the final shootout outcome rather than trying to add every successful attempt to the ordinary game score yourself. The league's recording procedure is not simply an extra period of freely accumulating goals. A highlights package may compress the attempts, so use the official result if the sequence is unclear.
Keep the postseason distinction visible
Stanley Cup Playoff overtime does not use the same short regular-season path to a shootout. A guide that fails to name the stage can therefore be misleading. For your calendar, label the event as regular season or playoffs and allow for the appropriate finish uncertainty. A practical learning exercise is to watch one regular-season overtime sequence and then the shootout, noting where the clock, player count and scoreboard presentation change. Those transitions make the difference clear without needing to memorize every procedural detail.
Useful answers
Is a shootout the same as overtime?
No. It is a separate deciding stage after the relevant regular-season overtime procedure. The action and score presentation are different.
Do NHL playoff games use this same route to a shootout?
No. The Stanley Cup Playoffs use a different overtime continuation structure. Always identify regular season versus postseason before applying the explanation.