SOG, PIM, TOI and +/−: how to read hockey statistics
Shots, ice time and penalty minutes measure different things. Learn the abbreviations through William Karlsson’s first season in Vegas.
SOG means shots on goal, PIM penalty minutes and TOI time on ice. G and A are goals and assists; P or PTS means points, the sum of goals and assists. Each describes a different part of a player’s performance and needs the same timeframe for a fair comparison.
G, A and P: goals, assists and points
A player receives 1 point for a goal or an assist. A goal can have up to 2 assists. Several players can therefore receive a point on the same goal, but the scorer cannot also earn an assist. The Swedish points leaderboard compares points; a goals leaderboard counts only goals.
SOG: what counts as a shot on goal?
Goals and shots stopped by the goaltender count as shots on goal. Misses and blocked shots do not. The total is therefore no greater than the number of shot attempts.
Shooting percentage measures the share of shots on goal that become goals. Karlsson’s 43 goals on 184 shots in 2017/18 equal 23.4 percent, rounded to 1 decimal place. That describes the outcome of his shots, without independently measuring the quality of his chances.
PIM counts minutes, not penalties
PIM records assessed penalty minutes. 12 PIM does not mean 12 penalties. Nor does it necessarily mean 12 minutes of shorthanded play for the team: coincidental penalties and misconducts affect that comparison.
A Gordie Howe hat trick requires a fight as well as a goal and an assist. A line showing 5 PIM alone does not establish that a fight occurred.
TOI: total ice time or an average?
On a game row, TOI shows the player’s ice time in that game. A season table may show either total ice time or an average per game, often labelled TOI/GP or ATOI. Check the heading before comparing. 18:16 means 18 minutes and 16 seconds, rather than 18.16 minutes.
How does plus/minus work?
A skater normally receives a plus for being on the ice when his team scores at even strength or shorthanded, and a minus when the opposition does so. An ordinary power-play goal gives neither a plus to the scoring side nor a minus to the penalty killers. Goaltenders do not receive individual plus/minus ratings.
Teammates, opponents and game situations affect the figure. It supplies context, rather than a complete assessment of defensive play.
PPG, SHG and points per game
PPG often means power-play goals and SHG shorthanded goals. Other tables use PPG for points per game, so read the column explanation. Compare regular season and playoffs separately, and distinguish totals from per-game averages.