The postseason rule starts at the pre-playoffs
The ICE Hockey League’s current game-mode page specifies endless sudden-death overtime from the pre-playoff stage. A viewer expecting a quick shoot-out based on regular-season habits should therefore check the stage first. A programme continuing deep into extra play can be following the published procedure rather than failing to finish at the scheduled time.
The organiser distinguishes elimination games
For non-elimination games, the stated format reduces skaters to three plus a goalkeeper after the first complete twenty-minute overtime. Elimination games retain five-on-five until a goal is scored. The important detail is not merely that overtime exists, but which match category the competition applies.
An elimination game need not be Game Seven
In an invented best-of-seven series, a club trailing three–zero faces possible elimination in Game Four. The series is not yet at a seventh game, but one side can still be knocked out by the next result. Do not use game number alone as a substitute for understanding the current series standing.
Keep clocks and scores separate
Sudden death means the next goal decides the game under the applicable procedure; it does not reset the completed regulation score. A television clock can start another overtime period while the tie remains level. Check the period label before comparing elapsed time with a regulation-time programme description.
Allow practical room around the appointment
An extended postseason game can outlast an ordinary guide window. Consult the actual provider’s live and recording behaviour rather than assuming a fixed end time or a guaranteed catch-up feature. The official rule explains why play can continue; it does not promise how a particular service handles a long broadcast.
Questions, answered
Is every elimination game necessarily a seventh game?
No. A team can face elimination earlier in a best-of-seven series.
Does the current postseason rule promise a quick shoot-out?
The cited rule specifies endless sudden-death overtime from the pre-playoffs.