NHL 2000 makes its Game Boy Color debut with the same overhead viewpoint and controls featured in EA SPORTS' NHL series on Super NES. Featuring licensed teams and players from the 2000 season, including the Atlanta Thrashers expansion team, players can take their favorite NHL squad through a complete 82-game schedule and save their progress using passwords provided at the end of each contest. Other modes of play include Quick Start, Exhibition, Playoffs, and Shootout.Quick Start has players skating into a rematch of the Dallas Stars versus the Buffalo Sabres, two teams who vied for the Stanley Cup in 1999. Exhibition lets players choose teams for a single game, while Playoffs has 16 teams competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. The five-man Shootout consists of two teams taking turns at firing the puck at each goalie. To help customize the on-ice action, players can toggle period length, penalties, injuries, and line changes. Three difficulty levels are also available, which influence how well the computer plays on offense and defense.