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What is Save Percentage?
Save percentage is the percentage of saves a goalie makes to the number of shots made on the goal.
A higher save percentage is a sign of a goalie that allows few shots into the net. A lower save percentage is a sign of a goalie that allows a lot of shots into the net.
It is a common goalie statistic and also used in soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, water polo, and other sports with a goalie.
Formula – How to calculate save percentage
Save Percentage = Saves ÷ Shots on Goal
- A “save” is a shot on the goal that the goaltender stops.
- A “shot” is an action that directs the puck towards the net and is either stopped by the goaltender or goes in the net. Do not include shots from a shootout, shots that are blocked by a non-goalie player (blocked shots), or shots that miss the net or hit the goalpost (missed shots). Do not include empty net shots (the goalie is not on the ice) unless you are calculating the save percentage of a team.
Example
A goalie faces 219 shots and makes 192 saves.
192 saves ÷ 219 shots = 0.877.
This goalie’s save percentage is 0.877, or 87.7%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sv% in hockey?
“Sv%” stands for “Save Percentage.” It is is the percentage of shots on goal that the goalie stops.
How do you calculate save percentage in hockey?
Save percentage is the number of saves divided by the number of shots (not including blocked or missed shots).
What is a good save percentage for a hockey player?
The NHL career leader in save percentage for players who debuted in the 1955/56 season or later is Dominik Hasek with a save percentage of 92.2%. The 50th best all time is Brian Elliot with a save percentage of 91.2%. The 100th best all time is Louis Domingue with a save percentage of 90.6%. All figures from NHL records retrieved Jan 28, 2020.
Sources and more resources
- Wikipedia – Save Percentage & Goaltender– Wikipedia’s definition of Save Percentage and a Goaltender.
- Rule Books for the NHL and the IIHF include definitions for terminology such as “goals.”
- NHL Goalie Statistics from the NHL, TSN, ESPN, SportsNet, and Hockey-Reference.com, and QuantHockey (Includes All-Time Leaders).
- Dummies.com – How hockey works – A simple introduction to hockey.
- Hockey Canada – Answers to questions asked by hockey parents – A large FAQ on hockey and playing the game. More than most general FAQ’s, this page covers many of the “behind the scenes” questions about playing hockey.
- The Hockey Writers – Hockey 101: A beginner’s guide to hockey – A very extensive introduction to hockey. Starts at the basics and ends with advanced hockey statistics. Includes everything in between.