Shots on goal. A shot counts when it scores or the goalie has to stop it.
This guide covers which shots count, hockey stats and whether more shots win. A free tool decodes real NHL lines.
What does SOG mean in hockey? Which shots count
A score ticker might show SOG 33 to 20. Those are the shots on goal for each team.
A goal counts as one. So does a shot the goalie saves. The glossary on NHL leaves out blocked shots and misses.
Shots that count and shots that do not
This table shows how the NHL records each kind of shot.
| Shot | Shot on goal? | What the NHL records |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Yes | A goal and a shot on goal |
| Saved by the goalie | Yes | A shot on goal and a save |
| Tip or deflection on net | Yes | A shot on goal |
| Wide of the net | No | A missed shot |
| Over the net | No | A missed shot |
| Hits the post or crossbar | No | A missed shot |
| Blocked by a skater | No | A blocked shot |
| Shootout attempt | No | Kept apart from the game totals |
Goals count as shots
Calgary beat Edmonton 4 to 3 in a shootout on 8 October 2025. The box score gave Calgary 22 shots on goal and Edmonton 35.
Goals are part of each total:
- Calgary had 16 saved shots plus 3 goals in regulation. That is 19.
- Calgary added 3 saved shots in overtime. That is 22.
- Edmonton had 26 saved shots plus 3 goals in regulation. That is 29.
- Edmonton added 6 saved shots in overtime. That is 35.
Shootout shots
The shootout added 9 saved shots and 3 goals. None of them are in the 22 or the 35.
NHL Rule 84.4 gives the shootout winner one extra goal on the final score. The player who scores the winning shootout goal gets no goal in his own stats.
Shot attempts
Blocked shots and misses are still shot attempts. The NHL stats site counts them in a stat called SAT.
When the NHL started counting shots
The NHL has counted shots for teams since 1955 to 56. It has counted them for skaters since 1959 to 60.
How to read a hockey stat line
This table lists 14 hockey stats from most lines.
| Stat | Short name | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | GP | Games the player took part in |
| Goals | G | Goals credited to the player |
| Assists | A | Credit for touching the puck before the scorer |
| Points | P | Goals plus assists |
| Plus minus | +/- | Team goals minus goals against while he is on the ice |
| Penalty minutes | PIM | All the penalty minutes he took |
| Shots on goal | SOG | Shots that score or force a save |
| Shooting percentage | S% | Goals divided by shots on goal |
| Time on ice | TOI | Average minutes skated in a game |
| Wins | W | Games won by a goalie or a team |
| Losses | L | Losses in regulation |
| Overtime losses | OTL | Losses in overtime or the shootout |
| Save percentage | SV% | Saves divided by shots on goal faced |
| Goals against average | GAA | Goals allowed for every 60 minutes |
Plus minus
Plus minus follows the team’s goals while a player is on the ice. Power play goals do not count, for or against. Empty net goals do count.
Goalies do not get one. The NHL has counted it since 1959 to 60.
Nathan MacKinnon led the NHL in 2025 to 26 at plus 57. Connor McDavid had 138 points and a plus 17.
Penalty minutes
PIM adds up every penalty minute a player takes. Minutes count even when no power play follows.
A minor is 2 minutes and a major is 5. A game misconduct adds 10 minutes in the stats.
Nikita Zadorov led the NHL with 152 PIM in 2025 to 26. The penalties guide lists every call.
Goalie columns
Andrei Vasilevskiy led the NHL with 39 wins in 2025 to 26. The math behind his two rating columns:
- 1,353 saves divided by 1,483 shots on goal is .912, his save percentage.
- 132 goals allowed times 60 is 7,920.
- 7,920 divided by his 3,431 minutes is 2.31, his goals against average.
Standings columns
A win earns a team 2 points. A loss in overtime or the shootout earns 1, and NHL Rule 78.1 sets both. A regulation loss earns 0.
Colorado won 55 games in 2025 to 26. It lost 11 in overtime or the shootout. The points add up in three steps:
- 55 wins times 2 points is 110 points.
- 11 overtime losses times 1 point is 11 points.
- 110 plus 11 is 121 points.
The overtime rules guide covers the overtime points. The points guide covers goals and assists.
Decode a real stat line
Pick a real 2025 to 26 line, press any column and see what the NHL counts.
Does the team with more shots win?
The 2025 to 26 regular season had 1,312 games. The team with more shots on goal won 651 of them (49.6%). The team with fewer shots won 610 (46.5%).
The other 51 games had equal shots. This table splits all 1,312 by how they ended.
| Games | More shots won | Fewer shots won | Equal shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulation (986) | 477 | 473 | 36 |
| Overtime or shootout (326) | 174 | 137 | 15 |
| All games (1,312) | 651 | 610 | 51 |
Does a bigger shot gap help?
This table sorts the 1,261 games with unequal shots by the size of the gap.
| Shot gap | Games | Won by the team with more shots | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 411 | 210 | 51.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 416 | 195 | 46.9% |
| 10 to 14 | 249 | 136 | 54.6% |
| 15 or more | 185 | 110 | 59.5% |
A gap of 15 or more won most often. Even then 75 of the 185 games went the other way.
A win with 14 shots
Boston beat the New York Islanders 3 to 1 on 26 November 2025. The Bruins had 14 shots on goal and the Islanders had 44.
Swayman saved 43 of the 44 for Boston. Sorokin saved 11 of 14 for the Islanders. The Rangers also won with 18 shots to Minnesota’s 48 on 14 March 2026.
Those two games share the biggest gap won by a team with fewer shots: 30.
How many shots is a lot?
These numbers come from all 2,624 team games of 2025 to 26:
- The average was 27.8 shots on goal for each team in each game.
- The most was 53, by Anaheim against Chicago on 7 December 2025.
- The fewest was 10, by the New York Rangers on 23 March 2026 and Columbus on 2 April 2026.
- Colorado took 33.7 a game. It finished first in the standings.
Stat sheet questions
What does SOG mean in hockey on a score ticker?
It is shots on goal. In SOG 33 to 20, one team had 33 and the other 20.
Does a shot that hits the post count?
No. The NHL records a shot off the post or crossbar as a missed shot.
Do blocked shots count as shots on goal?
No. A blocked shot is recorded as a blocked shot. It still counts as a shot attempt.
Do shootout shots count?
No. Shootout attempts are not in the game totals. Calgary’s 22 shots on goal on 8 October 2025 leave out its shootout attempts.
What is a good plus minus?
Above zero is a plus. Below zero is a minus. MacKinnon led the NHL in 2025 to 26 at plus 57.
What does PIM mean in hockey?
It is penalty minutes. Every penalty minute a player takes is added up. Zadorov led the NHL with 152 in 2025 to 26.
What does OTL mean in hockey?
It is a loss in overtime or the shootout. The team earns 1 point for it.
Take your shot
A shot hits the post and bounces away without touching the goalie. Does it count as a shot on goal?
Pick one to take your shot.
Checked against NHL stats glossary
NHL stats glossary
Checked November 2026
