What Is The Longest Playoff Game In NHL History?
From six-overtime battles to record-breaking saves, the NHL playoffs have delivered some unforgettable marathons. Here’s the full story.
www.essentiallysports.comDirect answer: I don’t have live access to the latest updates right now, but I can share the most recent well-documented contenders for the longest NHL playoff game and point you to where to check the latest.
Key points about the longest NHL playoff games in history
- The all-time longest playoff game occurred in 1936: Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Maroons, 176 minutes 30 seconds, six overtimes, with Mud Bruneteau scoring the winner.[3][6]
- Recent marathon playoff games have featured four overtimes, with several games reaching the 120+ minute mark; for example, a 4OT game between the Hurricanes and Panthers in 2023 was the sixth-longest in NHL playoff history, lasting 116+ minutes (end at 19:47 of the fourth overtime).[1][10]
- Lists detailing the longest playoff games since 2000 or in the post-expansion era are available from outlets like Sportsnet, ESPN, and The Hockey Writers, which catalog multiple multi-overtime contests and their durations.[5][8][10]
Where to verify the very latest
- NHL.com’s recap archives and official game logs are the primary source for the exact duration and status of any new marathon playoff games.
- Reputable outlets (AP, ESPN, NBC Sports, Sportsnet) publish updated lists and game-by-game breakdowns when a game pushes into multiple overtimes.
Illustrative example
- 1936: Detroit 1, Montreal 0 after 176:30 of play across six overtimes (Mud Bruneteau), the longest in NHL history.[6][3]
- 2023: Hurricanes 3, Panthers 2 after four overtime periods (the fourth overtime ending the game at 19:47 of OT), marking it as a record for one of the longest playoff games in franchise and league history.[10][1]
If you’d like, I can pull the latest game logs and compile a concise update with the exact duration, teams, and date for any new longest playoff game as soon as you confirm you want me to fetch current sources. I can also create a quick chart contrasting durations of the top 10 longest playoff games.