During the playoffs of NHL hockey, after the 3rd period, they don’t scrape/clean the ice with a zamboni. I figure this would cause players to perform less efficiently and potentially be dangerous due to the conditions of the ice in OT. Seeing as there is a longer break between the end of the 3rd and the start of OT in the playoffs than the regular season, why wouldn’t they use a zamboni on the ice? (Especially when they play unlimited OT periods until some scores )
1 Answer
During the regular season, the OT is 5 minutes. Since it takes 10-15 minutes to resurface the ice, they don’t do it then. If, after the OT, they go to a shootout, they will resurface directly in front of the nets, avoiding the sides.
During the playoffs, all OT periods are a full 20 minutes, and the ice is resurfaced after every period.