In a standard National Hockey League ice hockey game, how many regular periods are played?

Introduction / Context:
This question checks awareness of the basic structure of a National Hockey League ice hockey game. Many team sports divide playing time into halves, quarters, or periods, and knowing the correct format is important for sports general knowledge. The NHL is one of the most famous professional leagues in the world, so its match structure is a common topic for quizzes and exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The competition mentioned is the National Hockey League, which refers to professional ice hockey, mainly in North America.
• The question asks for the number of regular periods, not including overtime.
• We assume standard modern rules for a typical league game.
• Each period has a fixed duration, and there are breaks between periods.

Concept / Approach:
Unlike football, which has two halves, and basketball, which uses quarters in some formats, ice hockey in the NHL is played in three regular periods. Each period is usually 20 minutes of stop clock time. This three period structure is a distinctive feature of ice hockey and is commonly referenced in match reports and commentary. Remembering this simple fact allows you to answer the question quickly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the phrase National Hockey League, which clearly indicates ice hockey, not field hockey.Step 2: Recall that an NHL game is divided into three main periods of 20 minutes each, followed by intermissions.Step 3: Compare this memory to the options and identify 3 as the correct number of regular periods.Step 4: Ignore higher values like 4, 5, and 6, which do not match the standard match structure.

Verification / Alternative check:

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• 2 periods would be more similar to a game with halves and is not used in NHL ice hockey.
• 4 periods would resemble quarter based systems like those in some basketball leagues, but NHL games do not use four periods.
• 5 or 6 periods are unrealistic for a standard regulation game and do not match any recognised format.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates confuse ice hockey with other sports or assume that all games must have two halves or four quarters. Others may have seen formats in lower leagues or special tournaments and wrongly generalise them to the NHL. To avoid such confusion, it helps to remember a simple rule: NHL ice hockey uses three periods, while sports like football use halves and many basketball leagues use quarters. Clear mental classification reduces mistakes in format based questions.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is 3, because a standard National Hockey League ice hockey game is played in three regular periods of 20 minutes each.