What's the NHL record for most overtime games in one playoff series?

Thursday's Stanley Cup Final Game 4 saw the Edmonton Oilers complete an epic comeback to defeat the defending champion Florida Panthers 5-4 in overtime to even the series at two games each.

Forward Leon Draisaitl snuck the puck past Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on a wicked backhand just over 11 minutes into the extra period. It was his fourth such score during the 2024-25 playoffs, breaking an NHL record.

The Oilers were down 3-0 exiting the first period, becoming the first team in NHL history to come all the way back to win a game after facing such a deficit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, per the TNT broadcast. Previously, teams with at least that big of a lead were 37-0 in the postseason.

How many OT games have the Oilers and Panthers played?

Thursday's contest was the third that required overtime in the series, which is a rarity in itself. Only 74 playoff series in the 100+ year history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have contained at least three games that went longer than 60 minutes.

Edmonton took Games 1 and 4, both of which went to overtime, and Florida has won Games 2 and 3. The former was the match that needed more than three periods; Panthers forward Brad Marchand ended it with his own sneaky goal, giving his team crucial momentum.

This series is a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, where the Panthers emerged victorious in seven games — none of which needed overtime.

NHL record for most overtime games in one playoff series

The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is on pace to match the NHL record for most overtime games in a single playoff series (5). There have been three such instances in which teams played five games requiring at least one extra period.

There were a total of 15 playoff series that played four games of overtime and 56 that played three (not including this year).

NHL playoff series with the most overtime games, ranked

Of the three playoff series that played the most overtime games in NHL history, here's how I think they shake out from most exciting to least.

1951 Stanley Cup Final: Maple Leafs over Canadiens, 4-1

It's the Stanley Cup Final, not much else really needs to be said. Despite this being a best-of-seven games series that only needed five to decide a winner, having all five of those contests go to overtime is a rarity in its own right.

Fans that paid likely just a few dollars for entry certainly got their money's worth and more. Well, maybe less so for Montreal fans, who saw their team fall tragically in both home games during the series.

2017 Eastern Conference First Round: Capitals over Maple Leafs, 4-2

Had the 1951 series not been a final, this probably would've topped the list. All but one game went to overtime, including the deciding Game 6. Washington's Tom Wilson, a Toronto native, was ironically the one to set the series in motion with a Game 1 victory.

Toronto's first win of the series came in double-OT during Game 2, which they followed up with a Game 3 win that looked to have stolen momentum away. However, the Capitals rallied to rattle off three straight wins to take the series, the final two of which needed the extra period to settle in dramatic fashion.

2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals: Coyotes over Blackhawks, 4-2

This series kicked off the most successful playoff run the Coyotes franchise would see in its relatively short tenure in the desert, reaching the Western Conference Final but falling short to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings.

The Coyotes played five games of this six-game series in overtime, collecting three crucial wins in that span. The fourth and decisive victory was a convincing 4-0 thumping over Chicago on the road. That's the only thing that landed this series at the bottom of my list.

Florida and Edmonton could provide fans with one of the most exciting playoff series in NHL history, and that's saying something considering last year's final between the two went seven games after Florida blew a 3-0 lead.