NEW YORK - For the 2005-06 National Hockey League regular season, all games that remain tied after a five-minute overtime period will proceed to a shootout. As part of the implementation process and as a special preview for the fans, a shootout will be conducted at the end of all pre-season games - regardless of the score at the end of regulation time or overtime.
At the conclusion of the pre-season schedule, which gets underway tomorrow night, the League will issue the final shootout guidelines that will be in effect during the regular season. Following are the policies and procedures that will be used for the shootout in the pre-season:
Following the conclusion of regulation time or overtime there will be a two-minute break, during which the ice resurfacing machine will conduct a ''dry cut,'' making approximately four passes down the center of the ice surface between the goals but adding no water to the surface.
One referee will proceed to each bench to obtain the list of three shooters from each team.
All players will proceed to the bench, with the exception of the player who is taking the first shot.
One referee and one linesman will situate himself on either side of the home-team goal line. The other linesman will place a puck on the center-ice face-off dot.
A new puck will be used at the commencement of the shootout for each team.
The teams will alternate shots. The visiting team shoots first.
Each team will be given three shots unless the outcome is determined earlier in the shootout. A team will be deemed to have won the shootout if its total of shootout goals is greater than its opponent can attain in the number of rounds remaining.
If the score remains tied after each team has taken three shots, the shootout will proceed to a ''sudden-death'' format.
In ''sudden death,'' no player who participated in the original shootout may attempt a second shot until every other eligible player on that team has taken a shot. It will be the responsibility of the official scorer to ensure that every player eligible to shoot has taken a shot.
In ''sudden death,'' if one team scores and the other does not, the game is over. If the first ''sudden death'' round results in a tie, additional rounds are conducted until a winner is decided.
Once the shootout begins, the goaltender cannot be replaced unless he is injured. No warm-up will be permitted for a substitute goaltender.