Save Percentage Calculator

Welcome to the save percentage calculator, the ultimate tool for evaluating a goalkeeper's performance. Are you a hockey fan? Or maybe you like soccer? If you want to check the save percentage in any goalkeeper sport, our calculator is here for you. As a bonus, we have included a goals against average (GAA) calculator as well so that you don't have to look further to get an all-around evaluation of your favorite goalkeeper.

In this article, we'll tackle the following topics:

• How do you calculate the save percentage?

• What are the statistics for goalkeeper save percentage?

• What is goals against average?

• What is a good save percentage in hockey?

• And much more!

Ready? Let's go(al)! 🥅

The save percentage (SV%) is a simple statistic that allows us to evaluate a goalkeeper's ability to block goals. Is it calculated by dividing the number of saves by the number of shots:

save percentage = saves / shots

As you will have noticed, the save percentage is, more often than not, expressed as an index rather than as a percentage. But if you want to use percentages, all you have to do is multiply your result by 100:

save percentage [%] = (saves / shots) × 100

Save percentage is used mostly in hockey, especially in the NHL (the US National Hockey League), but it can be applied to other sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, water polo, and handball.

What are the statistics for goalkeeper save percentage?

As with any statistical tool, the save percentage is time-sensitive: you never know when another record will be beaten! But looking at the numbers, the most legendary NHL goalkeeper is Dominik Hasek, with an SV% of 0.922 (92.2%) and a whopping 18,648 saves over 735 games spanning 16 seasons!

What is a good save percentage in hockey, you ask? Anything above 0.92 (92%) is legendary, while scores below 0.90 (90%) are below average. For soccer, a typical range is between 0.68 (68%) and 0.75 (75%), and in handball, it's around 0.35 (35%).

Now that we've covered the basics, we can look at how this tool works. As we've already mentioned, the save percentage formula is a simple division, and then an optional multiplication. Therefore, it is easy to perform the calculation manually if the number of saves is divisible by the number of shots on target. If that's not the case, using our save percentage calculator is definitely the easier option.

But before we get into the functionalities of the tool, let's see what the different fields mean:

• Goalkeeper saves — This is the number of shots against the goalkeeper that were saved by the goalkeeper themselves. Do not include missed shots or saves by a different player.

• Shots against the goalkeeper — Total shots on target. Do not include missed shots or shots taken without the goalkeeper present.

You will have also noticed that there are two additional expandable sections at the bottom of the calculator, the first one of which can be used to calculate the total save percentage of a team, for example. It works similarly to the first one, but the numbers are slightly different:

• Total saves — The total number of saves by either the goalkeeper or another player, still excluding missed shots.

• Total shots on target — The total number of shots excluding missed shots. Do include shots taken without the goalkeeper present,

Let's see an example.

During a soccer game, 🔴 Team Red's goalkeeper wasn't performing so well, so we want to analyze their performance closely.

• 🔴 Team Red's goalkeeper saved 3 shots, 1 of which was going towards the post.

• 1 shot on target was saved by a 🔴 Team Red defender while the goalkeeper was present.

• 🔵 Team Blue took 3 missed shots.

• 🔵 Team Blue scored 2 goals.

Here is how you have to proceed in the "Goalkeeper save percentage" section:

1. Calculate the number of saves by the goalkeeper. We will only consider 2 saves since one is to be counted as a missed shot, and one was a save by another player.

2. Calculate the total number of shots against the goalkeeper. We will not be taking any of the missed shots into consideration. Therefore, we are left with the 2 saves by the goalkeeper, 1 save by a different player, and 2 scored goals: 2 + 1 + 2 = 5.

3. Upon inserting this data into the calculator's fields, we discover that the goalkeeper's save percentage is equal to 0.4 or 40%.

Not great. But how did 🔴 Team Red do overall?

1. This time, we will include the other-player shot in the number of saves. Therefore, we have 3 saves in total.

2. The total number of shots is again 5, since we still do not count the missed shots.

3. The "Total save percentage" section will tell you that the overall SV% of the team was 0.6, or 60%. That's better!

Remember that your calculation does not have to be limited to soccer. You can use this tool as a hockey goalie save percentage calculator, or use it for any other sport in which there is a goalkeeper!

You will be happy to discover that this save percentage calculator can also be used as a goals against average calculator! Thanks to this additional function, you can calculate the goals against average in the NHL or any other sports association!

Goals against average, or GGA, is another statistical measure that evaluates a goalkeeper's performance. It takes into consideration the total number of goals allowed over a specified playtime, considering the sport's standard regulation time. The formula is as follows:

GAA = (goals allowed / minutes played) × regulation time

Goals allowed is the number of shots on target that the goalkeeper did not save within the time that we are considering.

Let's take our example from the previous section. 🔴 Team Red's goalkeeper allowed 2 goals during one match, but they only allowed 1 goal over the previous three matches. It was just a bad day! How do we calculate the GAA?

1. Take the number of goals allowed: 3.

2. Calculate the total playtime. Over the four games, the goalkeeper played the full regulation time (90 minutes) plus a total of 17 minutes of extra time.

   4 × 90 + 17 = 377

3. Note that the standard regulation time in soccer is 90 minutes. (Click on the information icon next to the name of the field to see standard regulation time lengths for different sports.)

4. Insert the data into our formula:

   GAA = (goals allowed / minutes played) × regulation time = (3 / 377) × 90 = 0.716

   This means that, on average, the goalkeeper allowed 0.716 goals per standard regulation time match. Everyone can have a bad day, but overall, it's not tragic!

As you can see, calculating the GAA is not rocket science, but it is definitely easier with our save percentage calculator! Don't be afraid to use it. 😉