Goalie Save Percentage Calculator
Track your goalie save percentage with our free sports calculator. Get personalized stats, rankings, and performance comparisons.
Calculator
Adjust values & calculateEven Strength
Power Play Faced
Formula
Save Percentage equals saves divided by total shots faced. This calculator breaks down SV% by situation: even strength (5v5), power play, and shorthanded.
Last reviewed: December 2025
Worked Examples
Example 1: NHL Starter Season Save Percentage
Example 2: Situational Save Percentage Breakdown
Background & Theory
The Goalie Save Percentage applies the following established principles and formulas. Sports statistics and performance metrics represent one of the most data-rich domains of applied mathematics available to the general public. Baseball, in particular, has developed an exceptionally dense vocabulary of calculated metrics. Earned run average (ERA) quantifies a pitcher's effectiveness as (earned runs × 9) / innings pitched, normalising performance to a nine-inning standard regardless of how many complete games were pitched. WHIP, or walks and hits per inning pitched, is computed as (walks + hits) / innings pitched and provides a complementary measure of how frequently a pitcher allows baserunners. Batting average, one of the oldest statistics in the sport, is simply hits / at-bats, though more modern metrics such as on-base percentage and slugging percentage have largely supplanted it as primary performance indicators. The NFL passer rating formula is considerably more complex, combining completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown rate, and interception rate into a composite score scaled to a 0–158.3 range. Golf handicap calculation, now governed by the World Handicap System introduced in 2020, uses a Handicap Differential formula applied to the best 8 of a player's most recent 20 score differentials, with adjustments for course rating and slope. The Elo rating system, originally developed by physicist Arpad Elo for chess ranking in the 1960s, has become a widely adopted framework for competitive ranking in sports ranging from football to table tennis. It updates each player's rating after every match based on the margin of expected versus actual result. In endurance sports, pace calculation converts total time to a per-mile or per-kilometre rate, informing training intensity and race strategy. In cycling, power-to-weight ratio (watts per kilogram) is the primary determinant of climbing performance and is central to both professional race analysis and amateur fitness tracking. Fantasy sports scoring systems synthesise multiple individual statistics into aggregate point totals, requiring participants to understand the relative value of different performance categories across sports.
History
The history behind the Goalie Save Percentage traces back through the following developments. Organised athletic competition has roots extending to ancient Greece, where the Olympic Games were held at Olympia beginning around 776 BCE. These early games were embedded in religious observance and civic identity, featuring events such as sprinting, wrestling, and the pentathlon. The codification of modern sport rules accelerated dramatically in 19th century Britain, where industrialisation created both the leisure time and the institutional infrastructure for organised competition. The Football Association formalised the rules of association football in 1863, and similar governing bodies for cricket, rugby, tennis, and athletics followed in subsequent decades. Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator inspired by the English model of sport as character-building, campaigned to revive the Olympic Games as a modern international institution. The first modern Summer Olympics were held in Athens in 1896, establishing the template for international multi-sport competition that has continued to the present. FIFA, the international governing body for association football, was founded in Paris in 1904 with seven member nations. The serious statistical analysis of baseball, later termed sabermetrics, was pioneered by writers and analysts including Bill James beginning in the late 1970s. James self-published his Baseball Abstract annuals starting in 1977, introducing rigorous empirical methods to a domain previously dominated by traditional counting statistics and subjective scouting. His work influenced a generation of analysts and front-office executives. The publication of Michael Lewis's Moneyball in 2003, documenting the Oakland Athletics' 2002 season and their use of on-base percentage and other undervalued metrics, brought sports analytics to mainstream attention. The subsequent analytics revolution reshaped hiring practices and game strategy across professional sports leagues. Fantasy sports, which require participants to engage directly with statistical outputs, grew from a hobby practised by a few thousand enthusiasts in the 1980s into a multi-billion dollar industry by the 2010s, with tens of millions of participants across football, baseball, basketball, and other sports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Formula
SV% = (Shots Against - Goals Against) / Shots Against
Save Percentage equals saves divided by total shots faced. This calculator breaks down SV% by situation: even strength (5v5), power play, and shorthanded.
Worked Examples
Example 1: NHL Starter Season Save Percentage
Problem: A goaltender faces 1,050 shots and allows 84 goals in 38 games played.
Solution: Saves = 1050 - 84 = 966\nSV% = 966 / 1050 = .920\nSaves per game = 966 / 38 = 25.4\nShots per game = 1050 / 38 = 27.6\nGAA = 84 / 38 = 2.21
Result: SV% = .920 (Excellent) | 25.4 saves/game | GAA = 2.21
Example 2: Situational Save Percentage Breakdown
Problem: Even strength: 800 shots, 58 goals. Power play: 180 shots, 22 goals. Shorthanded: 20 shots, 1 goal.
Solution: ES SV% = (800 - 58) / 800 = 742/800 = .928\nPP SV% = (180 - 22) / 180 = 158/180 = .878\nSH SV% = (20 - 1) / 20 = 19/20 = .950\nOverall = (1000 - 81) / 1000 = .919
Result: Overall .919 | ES .928 | PP .878 | SH .950
Frequently Asked Questions
What is goalie save percentage and how is it calculated?
Goalie save percentage (SV%) is the most fundamental goaltending statistic in hockey, calculated by dividing the number of saves by the total number of shots faced. The formula is SV% = (Shots Against - Goals Against) / Shots Against, or equivalently SV% = Saves / Shots Against. For example, a goalie who faces 30 shots and allows 2 goals has made 28 saves, giving a save percentage of 28/30 = .933. Save percentage is expressed as a decimal to three places (like .920) rather than as a traditional percentage. It is widely regarded as the best single-number measure of individual goaltender performance because it accounts for shot volume.
What is a good save percentage in the NHL?
In the modern NHL, a save percentage of .920 or higher is considered excellent and places a goaltender among the league elite. The league average save percentage typically falls between .905 and .910, meaning the average NHL goalie stops roughly 91% of shots faced. A save percentage between .912 and .920 is above average and indicative of a solid starter. Below .900 is generally considered poor for an NHL goaltender and may warrant being replaced or sent to the minors. The highest single-season save percentages in NHL history have been around .940, achieved by goalies like Tim Thomas and Brian Elliott during exceptional seasons.
Why is even-strength save percentage more important than overall save percentage?
Even-strength save percentage (5v5 SV%) is considered more important because it isolates goaltender performance in the most common game situation and removes the distortion caused by special teams play. On the penalty kill, goalies face extremely difficult shots from the power play unit, and the number of power-play shots varies based on team discipline rather than goalie skill. Including these shots can unfairly penalize goalies on undisciplined teams that take many penalties. Even-strength play accounts for roughly 75 to 80% of game time and provides the most stable, predictive measure of goaltender ability. Analytics-focused teams prioritize 5v5 SV% in their evaluations.
How does shot quality affect save percentage?
Shot quality has a significant impact on save percentage because not all shots are equally difficult to stop. A shot from the high slot or during a breakaway is far more dangerous than a shot from the point through traffic. Goalies who face a higher proportion of high-danger chances will naturally have lower save percentages even if they are equally skilled. This is why advanced metrics like High-Danger Save Percentage (HDSV%) and Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) have become increasingly important. These metrics account for the expected goal probability of each shot, allowing analysts to evaluate whether a goalie is performing better or worse than expected given the shots they face.
How many shots does a goalie need to face for save percentage to stabilize?
Research in hockey analytics has shown that save percentage requires approximately 1,500 to 2,000 shots faced at even strength to stabilize and become a reliable predictor of future performance. This translates to roughly a full NHL season of starter workload. At smaller sample sizes, save percentage is heavily influenced by randomness, shot quality variance, and luck. This is why a goalie hot streak over 10 games does not necessarily indicate elite talent, and a cold streak does not mean the goalie has lost their ability. The slow stabilization rate is one of the reasons goaltender evaluation is considered the most difficult position assessment in professional sports.
What is the difference between save percentage on different shot types?
Save percentage varies dramatically by shot type, reflecting the different difficulty levels goalies face. On wrist shots, which are the most common, NHL goalies typically save around 93 to 94% of attempts. Slap shots from distance have a save percentage around 95% because they are usually from further out. Snap shots have save percentages similar to wrist shots. Deflections and tips are the hardest to stop, with save percentages often below 85% because the goalie cannot anticipate the puck direction after the deflection. Wraparound attempts are stopped at very high rates (above 97%) because the goalie is usually positioned well for these predictable plays.
References
Reviewed by Sher, Sports Science & Nutrition Specialist · Editorial policy