Compute SV% and Goals Against Average from saves or goals allowed, shots faced, and minutes played - with NHL tier benchmarks.
Goalie Stats
Goals scored against the goalie
Shots stopped by the goalie
Total shots faced (goals + saves)
Regulation = 60; overtime allowed
Results
Save Percentage
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SV%
Goals Against Avg
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GAA per 60 min
Enter goals allowed and shots against to compute.
Performance Benchmark
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.870.905.920.940+
Below AverageAverageElite
Compute SV% to see where this goalie ranks.
3 min read3 steps5 terms3 examples6 FAQsSV% = (SA − GA) / SA
SV% and GAA are the two most universal goaltender metrics in hockey.
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Walk-through
How to Use This Calculator
3 steps▸
1
Enter your goalie's stats
Use the toggle to enter whichever stat you know: Goals Allowed (the number of pucks that beat the goalie) or Saves (shots the goalie stopped) — both feed the same calculation. Then fill in Shots Against (total shots faced) and Minutes Played (60 for a full regulation game, more for overtime). The defaults show a typical NHL starter performance.
2
Read SV% and GAA
Save Percentage (SV%) appears as a decimal like .929, meaning the goalie stopped 92.9% of shots. Goals Against Average (GAA) is normalized to a 60-minute game, so a goalie who allowed 1 goal in 30 minutes shows a 2.00 GAA.
3
Compare to NHL benchmarks
The performance gauge shows where the goalie ranks: Elite (SV% above .920), Average (.905–.920), or Below Average (below .905). Try adjusting shots against to see how extra saves shift the tier — one extra save on 30 shots moves SV% by .033.
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Reference
Formula & Methodology
2 formulas▸
Save Percentage (SV%)
SV% = (SA − GA) / SA
Saves divided by total shots against. GA is goals allowed, SA is shots against. When SA = 0, SV% is undefined and displays as —.
Goals Against Average (GAA)
GAA = (GA × 60) / MP
Normalizes goals allowed to a 60-minute game. MP is minutes played. A goalie pulled after 45 minutes with 2 goals allowed has a GAA of 2.67, not 2.00.
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Glossary
Key Terms Explained
5 terms▸
Save Percentage (SV%)The fraction of shots stopped, expressed as a three-decimal number (e.g. .929). The NHL average floats near .905–.910. Elite starters typically post .920 or higher over a full season.
Goals Against Average (GAA)How many goals a goalie allows per 60 minutes of play. Lower is better. Elite NHL goalies post GAA under 2.50; league average is around 2.70–3.00.
Shots Against (SA)All shots directed on net that the goalie must handle — saves plus goals allowed. Does not include blocked shots or wide misses.
Minutes Played (MP)Total ice time for the goalie. A regulation game is 60 minutes; overtime periods add time. Pulling the goalie for an extra attacker reduces their MP.
ShutoutA game in which the goalie allows zero goals and plays the entire game. It produces a perfect GAA of 0.00 and a SV% of 1.000.
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Scenarios
Real-World Examples
3 worked examples▸
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Elite NHL starter
35-save performance
Goals Allowed 1Shots Against 36Minutes Played 60
SV% = .972, GAA = 1.00. A 35-save, 1-goal-allowed game puts this goalie squarely in elite territory. The .972 single-game SV% is exceptional; sustained over a season, a goalie needs closer to .920+ to maintain elite status.
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Average NHL starter
Typical 28-shot game
Goals Allowed 2Shots Against 28Minutes Played 60
SV% = .929, GAA = 2.00. A solid average starting-goalie performance. Two goals on 28 shots is entirely acceptable; the team's expected goals against is right around the NHL mean.
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Backup goalie
High-volume, tough night
Goals Allowed 4Shots Against 38Minutes Played 55
SV% = .895, GAA = 4.36. A below-average performance — pulled five minutes early after a difficult outing. The .895 SV% is below the .905 threshold coaches typically want from a starter.
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Deep Dive
Understanding Save Percentage and Goals Against Average
SV% and GAA are the two most universal goaltender metrics in hockey. Together they give coaches and analysts a fast read on how well a goalie is protecting the net — both in terms of shot-stopping rate and absolute goals allowed per game.
How Save Percentage works
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SV% is simply saves divided by shots against. A goalie who faces 30 shots and allows 2 goals made 28 saves, producing a .933 SV%. The metric normalizes for workload: a goalie on a busy night facing 40 shots and a light night facing 20 are judged on the same scale. NHL starters who sustain .920 or better over a full season are considered elite; the league average floats around .905–.910.
How Goals Against Average works
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GAA normalizes goals allowed to a standard 60-minute game. A goalie who plays 45 minutes and allows 2 goals does not have a 2.00 GAA — the formula extrapolates to 2.67, because that pace over a full game would produce nearly 3 goals. This makes GAA useful for comparing goalies who play different amounts of time, but it is more sensitive than SV% to the quality of shots faced.
Limits and when to go deeper
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Neither SV% nor GAA adjusts for shot quality. A goalie playing behind an aggressive man-to-man defence faces more point-blank attempts than one sheltered by a defensive system — yet both goalies' SV% is judged on the same league average. Advanced metrics like Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) and High-Danger Save Percentage attempt to correct for shot location. For quick scouting, SV% and GAA are the right starting point; for contract or draft decisions, layer in shot-quality data.
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Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
6 questions▸
What is a good Save Percentage in the NHL?+
A .920 SV% or higher is considered elite for an NHL starter over a full season. The league average typically sits between .905 and .910. Anything below .900 over a significant sample puts a goalie's roster spot in jeopardy.
How is GAA different from SV%?+
GAA counts raw goals allowed per 60 minutes and is heavily affected by how many shots a goalie faces. SV% neutralizes shot volume by expressing performance as a percentage. A goalie can post a low GAA behind a defensive team and still have a middling SV%. Most analysts prefer SV% as the more reliable single-game metric.
Do shootout goals count toward GAA?+
No. NHL rules exclude shootout goals from official goaltending statistics. Only regulation and overtime goals count toward GAA and SV%. This calculator assumes all goals entered are game goals, not shootout goals.
How does overtime affect the calculation?+
Enter the actual minutes played including overtime. If a goalie played 65 minutes (60 regulation + 5 OT), use 65 in the Minutes Played field. The GAA formula normalizes everything to a 60-minute rate, so the longer ice time slightly reduces the GAA compared to the same goals in 60 minutes.
Why does SV% show — when Shots Against is 0?+
Save Percentage is mathematically undefined when a goalie faces zero shots — you cannot divide by zero. This edge case appears in simulated games or when recording stats before the first shot is taken.
Can I enter Saves instead of Goals Allowed?+
Yes. Toggle to "I know Saves" above the input fields and enter the number of shots the goalie stopped instead of goals allowed. SV% is computed directly as saves divided by shots against, and GAA is derived the same way as the Goals Allowed mode — both toggles produce identical results for the same underlying game.
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