AcademyGoaltending

How do you calculate save percentage (SV%) in hockey?

Save percentage (SV%) is the number of saves divided by the number of shots on goal faced. It is the most widely used goaltending statistic in hockey because it depends mostly on the goalie and much less on team quality.

Formula

SV% = saves ÷ shots on goal faced = (shots faced - goals against) ÷ shots faced

Example

A goalie faces 30 shots on goal and allows 2 goals: 28 saves. SV% = 28 ÷ 30 = 0.933, read as "93.3%".

Watch for the classic trap: only shots ON GOAL count. A shot that misses the net or is blocked by a defenseman is excluded. That is why whoever tracks the stats must distinguish shots on goal, missed shots and blocked shots.

SV% is computed per game, then averaged over the season. In a single game it swings wildly (one goal on 8 shots gives 87.5%); it becomes meaningful after about ten games. RinkLog computes it automatically with every logged shot and shows the season trend.

RinkLog measures and computes this statistic automatically during your hockey, ball hockey and ringette games.

Try it for free