This is a crucial time because it may determine whether your team wins or loses. It also can be a key time if your goaltender has a shutout and the team is out to preserve it. A team should not go into a defensive shell, but should start thinking about playing more conservatively with about five minutes left in the game.

This can involve:

- No defensive players crashing the net from the points

- Avoiding penalties

- Clearing the defensive zone carefully without taking chances

- Standing up the offensive players at the blue line

- Avoiding passing back to the points in the offensive zone

- Getting whistles whenever possible to allow fresh players to enter the game and to disrupt the offensive flow of the opponent’s attack.