About the Hockey Save Percentage and GAA Calculator
This calculator works out the two numbers every hockey goalie is judged by — save percentage and goals against average (GAA) — from shots against, goals against and time on ice. It also shows total saves, shots faced per game and goals saved above average (GSAA), which tells you how many goals a goalie stopped compared with a league-average netminder facing the same shots.
Use it for minor hockey and beer-league stat sheets, high school and college programs, fantasy hockey, or to check what a goalie’s numbers will look like after the next game. Time can be entered as minutes played (the official basis for GAA) or as games played when you only know complete games.
GAA is scaled to the regulation game length, so pick shorter periods for youth leagues that play 15- or 17-minute periods. Save percentage needs no scaling — it is simply the share of shots on goal that were stopped.
With the default inputs, the save percentage is 0.92. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the hockey save percentage and gaa calculator
- 1Enter shots on goal and goals against for the goalie.
- 2Enter minutes played, or switch to full games played.
- 3Pick the regulation game length for your league.
- 4Optionally set the league-average save percentage for GSAA.
- 5Read the save percentage and GAA, and check GSAA to compare with an average goalie.
Formula and method
Save percentage is saves divided by shots on goal faced, where saves are shots against minus goals against. It is shown the traditional way as a three-decimal figure (.915) and as a percent (91.5%). Empty-net goals are not charged to the goalie, so leave them out of goals against.
Goals against average scales goals allowed to one regulation game: goals × game length ÷ minutes played, so overtime minutes count toward the denominator. Goals saved above average compares actual saves with what a goalie at the league-average save percentage would have stopped on the same number of shots.
- SA
- Shots on goal against
- GA
- Goals against (excluding empty-net goals)
- MIN
- Minutes played by the goalie
- lgSV%
- League-average save percentage as a decimal
Worked examples
Starter: 1,500 shots, 120 goals, 3,000 minutes
1,500 − 120 = 1,380 saves, and 1,380 ÷ 1,500 = .920. GAA is 120 × 60 ÷ 3,000 = 2.40. A .905 goalie would have stopped 1,357.5 of those shots, so this goalie saved 22.5 goals above average.
Single game: 32 shots, 3 goals
29 saves on 32 shots is 29 ÷ 32 = .906. Three goals in one full 60-minute game is a 3.00 GAA.
Youth league with 15-minute periods
360 saves on 400 shots is .900. With 45-minute games, GAA = 40 × 45 ÷ 900 = 2.00 (900 minutes is 20 games). Against a .880 league average, that is 360 − 352 = 8 goals saved above average.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate save percentage in hockey?+
Subtract goals against from shots on goal to get saves, then divide saves by shots on goal. A goalie who faces 30 shots and allows 2 goals has 28 ÷ 30 = .933 save percentage.
How is goals against average calculated?+
Multiply goals against by 60 and divide by minutes played. A goalie who allows 100 goals in 2,500 minutes has a GAA of 100 × 60 ÷ 2,500 = 2.40. Overtime minutes are included in minutes played.
What is a good save percentage?+
In recent NHL seasons the league average has hovered around .900. As a rough guide, .915 or better is very good for a starter, .920+ is elite and below .895 is below average. Youth and amateur averages are lower.
Is save percentage or GAA more important?+
Save percentage is usually considered the better measure of the goalie alone, because GAA also depends on how many shots the team in front of him allows. GAA rewards goalies on strong defensive teams.
Do empty-net goals count against a goalie?+
No. Goals scored while the goalie is pulled are charged to the team, not the goalie, so they do not count in his goals against, save percentage or GAA.
What is GSAA in hockey?+
Goals saved above average is a goalie’s saves minus the saves a league-average goalie would have made on the same shots. Positive numbers mean he prevented more goals than average.