Overtime Trends in the 2025 Playoffs: Betting the Extra Periods

Mon, May 12, 2025
by CapperTek

As the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs become more competitive and draw to a close, there’s one trend that fascinates both fans and bettors. Close matchups, a change in strategy, and elite goalkeeping have turned more games into nerve-wrecking close calls that go into overtime.

In this article, we’ll lay out the trends about overtime that have emerged in the recent matches and also address how they may affect the betting strategies players may use when placing wagers on games going into overtime.

Overtime is on the Rise

In the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, 34 percent of the games went into overtime, which is a noticeable increase compared to the average. In 2023, just 23 percent of all games went into overtime, and in 2024, the number was 26 percent.

Experts have claimed that this increase is mostly due to the fact that most teams have focused on creating a strong defense. Playoff games are also the ones with the most risk, as the losing team is eliminated, and teams often change their strategies to focus on defense.

Overtime Moments in 2025

A few high-profile games have gone into overtime in 2025, leading to dramatic finishes. These include:

Hurricanes vs. Devils – Game 5

Caroline won in the first round against New Jersey. The game finished with a score of 5:4 after a double overtime. The Hurricanes started with a 0:3 lead, but they managed to lose it, only to bounce back during overtime. Sebastian Aho scored the winning goal in the second OT. The crypto sports betting sites that provided live odds for this game allowed the players to win big by placing their wagers during overtime.

Golden Knights vs. Wild – Games 4 & 5

Vegas had to go into overtime for both of their wins against Minnesota. The fourth game was a roller coaster, with both teams leading at some point. Vegas secured the victory at the 18th minute mark, with the winning goal by Ivan Barbashev. The fifth game took place just three days later, and this one was decided in the 5th minute of overtime, when Brett Howden scored the game-winning goal.

Jets vs. Blues – Game 7

Winnipeg achieved one of the most thrilling victories when the game went into double overtime. They’ve managed to do so after a two-goal deficit in the third period. Adam Lowry scored the winning goal at the 17-minute mark, but Cole Perfetti was the hero of the game, scoring two goals and bringing the game to a tie. It’s also important to note that Connor Hellebuyck managed 26 saves.

Betting the Extra Periods: Strategies and Markets

With the later games of the playoffs going into overtime much more often, bettors should change their betting strategies accordingly and take advantage of this fact. Here are a few ways to capitalize on this trend:

Will the Game go Into Overtime?

The simplest wager to be made on overtime is whether there will be overtime at all. This can be a wager on its own, or it can be a part of a parlay bet. Those are riskier, but have a higher payout. Keep in mind that the more we get into the playoffs, the more likely overtime will become.

Live Betting before the Overtime Starts

When the game is tied and there are five minutes left until the end of the regular time, live betting odds will shift to even money for both teams to win. This is the perfect time to make a live bet on the winner, including overtime. The trick is that you lose if the game doesn’t go into overtime and someone scores before the end of regular time.

Who Will Score?

Another common bet is to wager on who will score in overtime. It is also a parlay bet that most players combine with betting on who will win or how many goals will be scored. Such a wager increases the risk and the payoff. Since teams often change their strategy for overtime, pushing the whole team to offense, the scorer may not be the one bettors are expecting.

Under Regular and Overtime Hedge

This is a somewhat complicated wager that therefore has the lowest odds and the highest payout. The players place an over/under bet on the score during regular time, while betting a smaller amount on overtime occurring.

To Sum Up

Many more NHL games are going into overtime during the playoffs. This is due to the quality of the teams and the risk of these games. A few of the most exciting games last month were concluded in overtime. Bettors are including wagers about overtime in their betting strategies. These bets are usually part of a parlay and have a higher risk and a bigger payout.